E’ domenica, quindi giusto il tempo di segnalare Newseum sito del museo del giornalismo di Washington. Questo perchè contiene un’antologia di centiania di prime pagine di tutti i giornali in giro per il mondo, aggiornata quotidianamente.

Questa la prima pagina del New York Times:

New York Times - www.newseum.org

My photos from yesterday’s presidential turkey pardon made it to the front page of The Norwalk Hour and are on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

The Newseum’s outdoor exhibit showcases the front page of every newspaper in the Uniter States, so I’m pretty honored to have my photo on display there, along with Katerina Voutsina’s article. Here’s the photo:

Nov. 25, 2009-Barbara Erena, Anthony Erena and their granddaughter Riley, 10, of Wilton, Conn., at the annual Turkey Pardon on the steps of the White House in Washington, D.C.

Here’s the front page:

Have you heard that FedScoop! is hosting a Cloud Computing Shoot Out?

It’s coming up on Dec. 8 from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. at the Newseum here in D.C.

Today, FCB talks with Goldy Kamali, founder and President of FedScoop! She tells us what it’s all about, who’s going to be there, and why you should attend.

“We decided to go ahead and do a series of events around the five pillars that federal CIO Vivek Kundra had outlined as priorities. We did our first event on October 14 at the Newseum and basically brought together executives in the White House and a lot of the federal CIO’s and CTO’s and decision-makers to talk about lowering the cost of government with technology.”

Since one of the topics was cloud computing, Kamali says a follow-up even was definetly in order; thus, the Shoot Out.

“There were so many interesting discussions that came as a result of that initial panel afterwards — and I noticed that there was so much controversy around cloud computing — who does what, who’s the leading provider, who’s FISMA compliant, who can be FISMA compliant. There were just so many question marks and so many rumors and unclear facts around cloud computing, that I had a meeting with Vivek Kundra and asked him — do you think it would be beneficial to clear the air on cloud computing?”

So . . . Kundra will be moderating the event — and Kamali says this will help everyone in the federal sphere.

“It’s basically — let’s all get on the same page and clear all of the question marks and really figure out who’s doing what, who has some best practices, who has some real-life experiences within the agencies that they can share and who really has the leading solutions.”

It’s important to hold the event — and more important for people to attend — because cloud computing is such a growing area in federal IT, Kamali explains.

But it’s also about money and the bottom line.

“[It is] a growing area within agency spending. In 2010, there’s going to be a significant jump in the budgets for implementing cloud solutions in agencies and, I think, by 2011, the dollar amount that’s being spent right now is going to double. . . . So, there’s a lot of opportunity.”

To attend, register here. It’s free if you’re a government employee — but hurry, because Kamali says spots are filling up quickly.

To listen to our entire interview with Kamali, click on the audio link at the top of the page.

Christopher and Kerri brave the rain on the steps of our nation's Capitol Building. Photo by J.P. Horrigan.

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have too much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt (second inaugural address, 1937)

Gray skies, billowing wind, and periods of harsh rain are slowly dissipating from the Washington D.C. area. While our friends and family back home in sunny southern California have been enjoying the typically perfect weather, we’ve been walking around Washington D.C. over the last few days enjoying the sites after long days of workshops. We’re here with my student journalists for the 85th annual National High School Journalism Convention, and our group represent just 14 out of the 6,347 students in attendance from around the country.

This time last year we were in St. Louis for this event and the weather was quite similar. However, during that trip Kerri and I did our first televised interview for the One Dollar Diet Project. From a local NBC affiliate in St. Louis we answered questions on the Canandian Broadcast Corporation’s “News Hour,” doing our best to help people understand what our experience was like.

At this point, we’ve done so many interviews that it should be clear for most people that this blog started as a way for us to explore the economics of eating through a form of participatory journalism. We hoped that it would help us understand some of the challenges of those who are trying to eat without very much money. It did.

The power of this form of experimentation, and journalism  hit us again a couple of days ago when we visited the Newseum, a new museum in D.C. dedicated to the field of journalism. The work of writers like Nellie Bly, who in 1887 faked being insane so that she could be admitted to the Woman’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell Island to learn about and write about the experiences of the women imprisoned there, are works worth cherishing. After her article was published, she wrote a book, “Ten Days in the Mad House” which prompted an $850k increase of funds for public charities. More recently the work of modern authors like Barbara Ehrenreich and humorist A.J. Jacobs have helped give us insights that typical reporters cannot.

In addition to visiting the Newseum, we’ve also had the privilege to visit our nation’s Constitution, Bill of Rights, and The Declaration of Independence, and the experience has been an inspiration.

Yet last night, when the student’s sessions were done and the rain had cleared we made our way to some of the monuments we hadn’t seen yet: the Lincoln memorial, the FDR memorial, and the Jefferson memorial. I hadn’t visited Lincoln or Jefferson since the fifth grade, and I had never seen the memorial to Franklin D. Roosevelt. The sound of the sequence of pummeling waterfalls at the FDR site creates a sense calm, which is juxtaposed by cast iron installations, one of which is a line of people waiting outside a door; a reminder of the struggles of the great depression.

In addition to his message, “I Hate War,” which boldly gives visitors reason to pause, is another value of his which is graven in stone for all to see, and that quote is the one at the top of this post. During a time when the debate about health insurance reform continues, and libertarian economic attitudes continue to flourish in ways that leave the least among us without, I hope that some will remember the words of our past president.

- Christopher

Newseum.org is an awesome website that allows you to download PDFs of a large selection of popular newspapers from around the world. Newseum.org is the online presence for a a 250,000-square-foot museum of news located in Washington, DC.

A selection of daily newpapers scans

O museu do jornalismo de $450 milhões, o Newseum (”museu das notícias”) foi reinaugurado ano passado de forma estrondosa nos Estados Unidos. O antigo Newseum que ficava na Virgínia fechou as portas em 2002, quando os fundadores (Freedom Fórum) decidiram construir um grande centro – com apoio das mais diversas organizações noticiosas ou não do país. O novo prédio na “Pennsylvania Avenue” tem 15 teatros, 14 galerias principais e dois estúdios de transmissão.

Há salas interativas onde visitantes podem vivenciar os mais diversos papéis jornalísticos – câmera, editor, repórter e apresentador. Uma das principais atrações são os filmes em “4-D” – cheios de efeitos que incluem assentos móveis – e reproduzem eventos que foram notícias nos últimos 150 anos.

Uma das galerias exibe a foto de cada vencedor do Prêmio Pulitzer. Há também a disposição aparatos e acessórios do “broadcast”, salas de conferências, apartamentos e um restaurante de um badalado chef de cozinha (Wolfgand Puck).Dentro do prédio uma Televisão LCD gigante de alta definição – que se eleva e abaixa – exibe eventos do museu e seqüências de filmes históricos; logo ao lado, um helicóptero de noticias fica suspenso no ar.

A História da Imprensa Americana fica disposta em uma extensiva linha do tempo com documentos e objetos, incluindo uma cópia de 1787 do jornal “Maryland Gazette“apresentando a nova constituição americana e uma cópia de 1948 Chicago Daily Tribune anunciando uma das maiores barrigas da história americana: “Dewey derrota Truman” – e logo abaixo uma famosa fotografia de Truman segurando o mesmo jornal.

Um espaço destinado ao “11 de setembro” tem uma parede com as capas de jornais e revistas do mundo inteiro no dia seguinte aos atentados, e um filme recontando o destino de jornalistas que cobriram o evento.

Todos os dias uma das galerias reproduz em telas 80 capas de jornais ao redor do mundo e dos 50 estados americanos, tudo em “touch screen”.

O museu foi criado para ser notado. Através das paredes de vidro do estúdio de televisão é possível ter uma visão do imponente Capitol (prédio do Congresso em Washington). O oposto também acontece: do Capitol se tem uma clara visão da fachada do Newseum – fachada que traz escrituras em mármore da Primeira Emenda.

A entrada no Newseum custa $20 para adultos e crianças de 7 a 12 pagam $13. A tarifa é uma das mais caras cobradas em museus dos Estados Unidos.

Daily front pages from around the world line the outside of the Newseum in Washington D.C. What one journalist friend called ” a shrine to a dying art,” Newseum is a bit of a temple, complete with propaganda.  It sings the song of a dying hero, a journalist. The museum chronicles some of the great exploits of journalism from spy cases to presidential elections to 911.

One of Today's Headlines

While the cynical part of me would write this museum of to a Disney Land version of journalism, the museum held my interest for several hours. Though certainly not without a bias, this dynamically designed building showcases some of the earliest newspapers, rooms dedicated to Pulitzers and the biggest stories of the last several hundred years.

Unlike a history museum, the Newseum is not so much a record of scholarly work, but rather a glimpse of public memory. Whether the newspapers in front of me were liberal or conservative, corrupt or honest, idealistic or sarcastic, when I saw newspapers covering an entire wall dedicated to 911, I was immediately brought back to that morning over eight years ago.

I would recommend this museum not because I count journalist among the gods, but because it reminds us of the importance of public opinion and memory.

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Word of Walter Iooss’ exhibition at the Newseum has spread across the pond: BBC News has picked up the story, posting a gallery of his images at its website, with commentary on each photo from Walter. For example:

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You can catch the complete slideshow here.

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When everyone was looking for moondust from the LCROSS mission to crash land into the moon, I noticed something else — a cultural dust storm inside the agency. Did you see it too?

We heavily publicized the “moon landing” prior to Friday’s event. In Washington DC, the Newseum hosted our “Let’s Kick Up Some Moon Dust” party. (Even my mother received an email from NASA inviting her to attend. Not sure exactly how THAT happened. No matter.)

I was off work on “LCROSS day,” so I logged onto NASA TV to watch the lunar impact. I mean, really. Who DOESn’t want to see moon dust? Watching the mission coverage, though, took me by surprise.

Stop! Before I go any further, I must in all fairness disclose that I work the “human space flight” side of the house at NASA. I say this only to put in context my perspective. I’m accustomed to years upon years (yes decades even) of Space Shuttle launch and Space Station on-orbit coverage — the hushed, almost flat voices of our Public Affairs folks doing commentary, the CapCom astronaut speaking to the crew, and crew responses. Calm. Even. Almost hypnotic. (No offense guys. I’m just trying to frame my point.)

Back to LCROSS coverage. I listened to chatter between the console folks — camera commands, I believe. Some of the voices struck me as jarring. Maybe it was early in the morning, but I found myself reacting to the sound of the voices. (InCREdibly petty. I know. I know. Who cares what they sound like, right? It’s the mission that’s important! Yes, I get it. Really I do. I’m merely describing my reaction.)

I watched the tiny NASA TV window on my laptop as the spacecraft rocketed closer and closer. I listened to the Go/No Go count and wondered about the spacecraft barreling toward the moon. Could we even turn it around if someone voted “no-go?” Hmmm. Not my mission.

I captured screenshots and posted them on Twitpic. I personally love this near-infrared shot below. I think it would make cool Moon art.

Impact! We hit the moon, didn’t we?

Yes, the announcer confirmed “contact”…as in crash landing. I was a bit confused. My little NASA TV screen only showed gray fuzziness. The announcer revealed a second impact. Hard to tell. I was still watching blurry images on my computer.

Further confirmation: NASA TV switched to images of arm slapping/hand shaking in the control room, then camera views somewhere outside where we could see happy people in lawn chairs. Then, back to the Control Room:

The Flight Director stood up, put his hands on his hips, and looked directly into the camera. Odd.

Twitter lit up with Moon Dust…or lack thereof…chatter. Some out in the vast twitterverse cheered the achievement. Some expressed anger at NASA for “bombing” a gentle giant. Some voiced confusion about what happened (mirroring my reaction). Some made fun of the coverage.

The social media world joined in for a global conversation about space. Differing opinions, some unflattering, but conversation none-the-less.

I’ve been thinking about my reaction to mission coverage and wondering what it says about me. I’ll be honest, compared to a Shuttle launch, LCROSS felt like the minor leagues. Does that mean I’m arrogant? I’ve really struggled over the weekend to understand WHY I felt underwhelmed by the “Kick Up Some Moon Dust” experience (other than the fact that we didn’t witness a massive cloud of dust — which may mean water).

Here’s what hit me last night: the culture clash between human vs. robotic, engineering vs. science.

I’ve noticed, through my many years at NASA, that our engineers want to tweak perfection, while our scientists want gather more data, to ask one more question, try one more approach. The LCROSS mission is a success because it’s one more approach to asking another question so that we better understand what questions to ask. Their scientific mission is just beginning with lunar impact. Our human space flight missions, in contrast, end upon touchdown or docking — when we safely arrive at our destinations.

We’ve been doing this Shuttle thing for quite some time. The culture of how we do what and what is acceptable is quite ingrained. Launch coverage and mission control cultural norms rule. I fell victim to my human space flight cultural heritage when I subconsciously compared “our” launch coverage with “their” launch coverage…and giggled. Yes, I admit. I giggled — which is not fair to the serious work behind the mission. I feel very rude. Scientific, robotic missions are ruled by different cultural norms.

Look no further than the contrast between the Houston Mission Control “flat-top” and the California “flip-flop” mentality. Both approaches get the job done — just differently.

Now that I’ve had a few days to process, I apologize to all you LCROSS folks. I let my cultural bias cloud (moon dust?) my perception of your mission coverage. Though, I do hope your Hi-5 guy gets a shot at the late-night comedy shows. He deserves a shout out!

Bravo LCROSS. Ignore NASA’s cultural dust storm. We expect your results to “water” it down.

Cross post on OpenNASA.

Secret plan to undermine US dollar by Robert Fisk

Roundup: Kerry-Boxer climate bill reactions from Grist

Roundup: Patriot Act vote reactions from EFF

Obama stalls telecom immunity lobbying records FOIA, “inter-agency” says DOJ

Wikileaks.org offers whisteblowers legal protection

Montana tribe myth-busting online from Daily Yonder

New public radio network links S. America to Africa from IPS

An open letter to Democracy Now from Mediahacker

Record labels are losing power to fans, artists from PBS Media Shift

No one home at zombie TV stations from Stop Big Media

The zombie zeitgeist by David Sirota

Print and TV exempt from new FTC free speech regulations from EFF

Over 50 percent of companies ban Facebook, Twitter at work from Wired

Obama: Afghan airstrikes killed 100+ civilians from Glenn Greenwald

Obama: Progressives are allowed to oppose the Nobel from David Sirota

Obama: Please earn your Nobel prize by Michael Moore

Michael Moore wants us to go kick ass by Matt Taibbi

Documentary: Videocracy examines fascist media under Berlusconi

NY Times: Robert Greenwald’s Rethink Afghanistan not balanced enough

Student sex columnists face censorship from The Nation

The buzz about wireless Internet from Free Press

Shrine to Tim Russert changes nature of Newseum from Slate

Shumer’s amendment denies bloggers shield law protections from EFF

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If you’re planning to visit D.C. sometime over the next three months and you’re a fan of Walter’s work, stop by the Newseum. He’s chosen just over 40 of his favorite images from throughout his career for an exhibition that opens there tomorrow. As the press release for “Athlete: The Sports Illustrated Photography of Walter Iooss” points out, Walter’s photos have appeared on the cover of SI more than 300 times—pretty much a record. Everyone’s got their favorite Iooss photos, but it’ll be interesting to which ones the photographer himself regards as most memorable.

In addition to classic images of sports greats, the show also features Walter’s personal diaries and commentary on the photos. The Newseum—a 250,000-sqaure-foot museum dedicated to news, newsmakers, and the chroniclers of both—has produced a video interview with Walter to accompany the exhibition. Click on the photo below to watch it online.

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The Newseum is also hosting “Woodstock at 40: The Rise of Music Journalism,” which, like Walter’s show, will be up through December 31. Apparently, they’ll be showing rarely exhibited photos and “artifacts.” Far out.

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I had an opportunity to attend a behind-the-scene tour of the Newseum this week.  Conclusion:  It’s absolutely fascinating! 

The introduction movie (beginning of the tour) delivered an inspiring and touching key message regarding the importance of free press.  The various exhibits throughout the Newseum exude so much rich history!  I love the incorporation of multimedia and interactive technology with historic artifacts.  There were real, I repeat, real historic artifacts such as a few panels of the Berlin Wall showing the contrast of the East vs. West Germany side of the wall and the actual East German guard tower (aka, “the death tower”).  Other intriguing real artifacts ranged from the original Watergate office door,  the unibomer’s hideout cabin, to the car recovered from the war zone with bullet holes and the bomb blown driver’s seat.   The 911 gallery with a mangled communications tower that was on one of the World Trade Center buildings was a bit hard to digest as it triggered the memories and emotions from 2001…  

Some of my favorites are the front page gallery displaying the actual front page of various major newspapers from around the world, with the interative kiosks allowing you to select and zoom in on the newspaper of your choice.  The interative virtual enviroment with avatars to test your knowledge on the ethical dilemmas in journalism was pretty fun.  The plexi panels display in the journalists memorial was elegantly designed and served as a good reminder for all to appreciate journalists whom devoted their lives to bring news to our fingertips. 

Oh, as for the “behind the scene”, we got to go into the control room to chat with the technician who manages the Newseum operation and the live-data feed, and saw the server room with various technology integration.  It was quit insightful to learn how various exhibits was pulled together, with collaborative efforts from the Newseum in-house staff and their Design Firms, to translate key messages and stories through installations.  With limited time we had, we did not get to see all of the exhibits in depth, such as the 4D movie… but that only means I have to make another trip back and hopefully that will be sometimes soon!

Here are some photos I took using my cell phone.  These photos do not do the Newseum justice by any shape or form.  So yes, I highly recommend everyone to see and experience it in person!

Biggest recent news: on Friday, my team presented our “Earn Your Uniform” routine (consisting of several requirements — memorizing and reciting the City Year and the Americorps pledges, memorizing the P.T. routine chant and performing several P.T. exercises, creating a team chant and performing it, reciting City Year’s vision and mission statements, etc.) to Tina and Jeff, two of the D.C. office big wigs. Each team is required to do this in front of experienced members of the CYDC staff who decide if we have “earned our uniform”. Several teams that had already presented their routine were asked to practice and repeat their routine for various reasons (exercises not performed in unison, not loud enough, pledges not sufficiently memorized… all kinds of stuff!) so we were a bit nervous that we wouldn’t get it right the first time around, but we did and that was exciting! It sounds a little ridiculous and military boot camp-esque, and our team didn’t exactly take it seriously right off the bat, but when we finally pulled it together and pulled it off, it felt good. I feel like lots of stuff presented during BTA training and the “earn your uniform” requirements make it that much more exciting to know that THURSDAY we have our “Red Jacket Ceremony” and this Friday is Opening Day!

In addition to earning our uniform on Friday, those of who signed up for mentors from the consulting branch of Deloitte, a CY sponsor/partner, met our assigned mentors for the first time.  I was excited about getting the opinions of someone who has been in the professional world for awhile, having someone to touch base with about advice on dealing with various work situations, and meeting someone who could encourage me to set practical goals for next year. It’s nice to have family in the area, but sometimes you need a more experienced adult who is not a) someone affiliated with your employer or b) someone who is going to be “on your side” no matter what (Thank God for my supportive family, though!). I miss my “unofficial” mentors in Macon so so so much, so I’m trying to plug into the community here as much as possible. My mentor, Denise, seems great and I am excited to get to know her better as the year progresses.

I’m sick so it’s been kind of a lazy weekend — I woke up fairly early yesterday and layed around for a bit, then went to the bank and the pharmacy (holy healthcare costs! there’s a $100 deductible before my new CY insurance starts paying for prescriptions… that was not fun). I found out that Saturday was Smithsonian Magazine’s National Museum Day, so participating museums waived their admission fees. I decided to check out the National Museum of Crime and Punishment, which is usually $20/person. Most museums in D.C. are always free, and this is actually one of the museums I’ve never been to (I love the Newseum, which also has an admissions cost, but wasn’t participating in the freebie day). The Crime and Punishment museum was packed — there was a line outside, and I ended up standing there with a book and my umbrella for ~45 min…. I also got to give an “elevator speech” about City Year… It was pretty interesting, a little unsettling, fairly well-done… I don’t know if it would ever be worth $20… but I’m a Forensic Files/Cold Case Files/CSI type show nerd, so I found it to be worthwhile. I got some frozen yogurt afterward and meandered back home via Metro. It was an enjoyable day of wandering by myself in the city, which I found to be relaxing.

I’ve spent the rest of the weekend trying to kill this cold, and thinking a bit about the GRE and graduate school/”Life After City Year” job options… yuck. Too stressful.

Tomorrow we’re observing a bit more at the school, and I’ll get to be with my precious little 3rd graders. Just one more week of training and we’ll be set to go with full-time service for the year! I can’t wait.

Day I

The Massive Atrium

I settle back in my seat to enjoy a long ride from Reagan National Airport to the Gaylord National at National Harbor just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. But 10-minutes later, the affable driver points across the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the imposing hotel on the opposite site.

“Already?” I ask. “I thought it would be a long trip.”

“So does everyone,” he laughs.

I look more carefully. A behemoth glass building with a round scoop of glass looms over the harbor skyline and glistens in the sunlight. Lush grounds kiss the docking area where dozens of small craft are moored. It must be a sight for sore eyes for politic-weary guests who pound the halls of Congress by day or sit in claustrophobic meeting rooms near the Mall.

More like a resort than a city hotel, the huge structure has all the amenities – a spa, large work out room, indoor pool and Jacuzzi, walking/running trails and a variety of restaurants. Although I rarely meet an upscale hotel I don’t love, this one is a cut above – smaller than its big sister, the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, the layout mirrors the lush gardens that bring beauty and nature inside. I pause to watch children play near the large fountain and splash in the water with Cindy, a petit pigtailed 4-year old, whose watchful parents are relaxing nearby.

When I tell her I have to grab some lunch before Pienza Italian Market closes, she pouts. “Will you come play with me tonight?” she asks. “Promise? The waters dance and change colors.”

“I’ll try,” I tell her, blowing an air kiss. “I’ll look for you.”

Although my intent after lunch is a quick nap, I’m lured outside. Joggers canter along the trail that leads all the way over the Old Alexandria, but these old bones are happier walking, so I stroll along the dock and admire the ships gliding up and down the Potomac. Curious about the new National Harbor area, I turn toward the shops, condos and hotels that are cropping up faster than weeds. A large sign boasts that Disney will bring its magic to the area around 2012 and despite a downturn in the economy, anticipation among the retailers, restaurateurs and hoteliers is palpable.

Time flies and I’m almost late for an aaaaaaaah massage at Relache. Yum. Afterward, I slither upstairs, oiled and relaxed as a noodle and yearn to plop down on my humongous King bed. But no rest for the weary. It’s nearly time to meet friends for dinner downstairs at Moon Bay Coastal Cuisine where we chat, drink and eat late into the night. The crab cakes are the best and freshest I’ve had since my school days in New Orleans when lump crabmeat made a steady appearance on my mother’s culinary repertoire whenever company was invited. I wax nostalgic and wonder if I can find her old recipe.

Day’s highlight(s):  Watching the boats skim along the Potomac; the massage.

Day II

A News Junkie's Nirvana

I’m standing in the expansive atrium of the new Newseum in Washington, DC looking up as flashes of big stories from the past blink across the giant screen.  A news helicopter “hovers” near the ceiling. For this  writer and news junkie, the Newseum is nirvana – a place dedicated to the men and women who bring the words “freedom of the press” to our doorsteps.

But for how long? In a world where more than 600 magazines and untold numbers of newspapers have bitten the dust in the last year, I wonder if my grandchildren will look at the archives chronicling big stories and Pulitzer Prize winning still photographs and say, “When I was little, my grandmother read a daily newspaper so big she had to fold it in sections to read it. She liked that better than watching the news on TV. Weird.”

I choose the exhibits I really, really want to see, beginning with the Pulitzer photos. History flashes before my eyes in a single frame and without the benefit of the written word. It’s hard to be objective, particularly in the screening room where the photogs tell the stories of how they got the shots.

In the 9/11 Gallery, a mangled antenna that once stood on the North Tower of the World Trade Center, a chunk of cornice from the Pentagon and piece ripped from the fuselage of United Flight 93 are stark reminders of all that we lost in a single day. I sit in the theater and listen to journalists, their voices full of emotion, tell chilling stories of being on the scene. Their reporting begins objectively, then, as the second tower crashes to earth, they run for their lives, voices quaking, cameras getting pictures of the dusty streets. For those of us sitting in the room, it takes us back to the terrible day when we watched the gut-wrenching events unfold on the small screen. Reporters on the scene, much like service men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, have witnessed war.

Shaken, I move on to the Berlin Wall exhibit – a searing reminder of what once was, walk through the G-Men and Journalists area, then move on to the News History section where famous headlines from 30,000 historic newspapers scream across front pages. The Dissolving the Union in 1860. The sinking of the Titanic and the Hindenburg explosion. Man Landing on the Moon. Watergate and beyond Thankfully archived for posterity, these stellar examples of journalism will survive – even if the newspapers don’t. Such a tragedy. Who will do the investigative reporting and write the Watergates of the future that is recorded on paper?

I drag myself away from the Newseum for a tour of Washington with a stop at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. More like a park within a park, it is tranquil with multiple waterfalls and comfortable benches. I sit and reflect on the words of our 32^nd president inscribed in stone and marvel at the beauty of our country’s capital.

Dinner that evening is at the Gaylord’s Old Hickory Steakhouse where the maitre d’frommage presents a delectable array of cheese appetizers from mild to tangy. Not a crumb is left on my plate. I am feeling more than a little gluttonous, but after all, it’s a steakhouse, so I order the signature grass fed tenderloin with lobster topping, so tender I can cut it with a fork. Think I’ll diet tomorrow.

Day’s highlight: The Newseum

The Newseum on Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington DC, right next door to the Smithsonian, heralds the history of news making and media in the U.S. It also looks at the latest technologies for media, and ponders its future.

There is a Journalists Memorial area that pays tribute to reporters, photographers and broadcasters who have died reporting the news. The names of 1,913 individuals from around the world are etched on the glass panels of the soaring, two-story structure. The memorial is rededicated each year to add the names of journalists who lost their lives on the job in the preceding year. Adjoining the memorial are photographs of hundreds of those journalists, and electronic kiosks containing data on every honoree.

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, owner of the New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fox (Broadcasting, Cable and 20th Century Fox)  maintains one of many galleries, this one about the history of newspapers.

Journalists Memorial rededication 2008

In the Newseum I saw many great Exhibits but there was that touched me the most. The 9/11 exhibit was very powerful right when you walk up to it. The first item you see is a piece from one of the towers. When looking at that you just picture it all in your head. All the people who were killed or lost someone that day.

Around that piece from the tower was a time-table of the day. It starts with when the first plane crashed into the tower and ends on the ending of that day. What makes this time-table powerful was all the pictures it had for every important time of that day. The pictures just brings back bad memories to all of us.

In the corner of the exhibit they had a piece of metal from the flight 93 that crashing in Pennsylvania . This piece from that plane shows bravery because that day the people in that plane saved thousands of life’s by what they did for our country. In the other corner they had a American flag that was hung up after 9/11. This flag means a lot more then just any original flag. This flag brought all of us together to help one another and bring this country back together. Also show that our country is still strong after this attack.

The most powerful item they had at this exhibit was a camera. The Neuseum had items from a Gentleman that died that day. His friend picked up his belongings, which were a camera, film, and his id. They produced his film and the pictures that were taken i have never seen before. They had all the photos on the wall and these photos were so hard to look at because it made you feel like you were there in his shoes. That you experienced every moment he went through before his sad death. I believe the Newsuem did an excellent job with this exhibit with such a strong topic. That today it’s of the best Exhibits to see today.

By ON★PATROL

Telling the stories of those killed in the Vietnam War can be a trying, difficult task. That’s why one new project will seek to tell those stories through the photos of those who never came home.

Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Anthony C. Shine's A-7D vanished near the border of North Vietnam and Laos. Shine is one of many who can contribute photos and artifacts to the new The Education Center at The Wall, a campaign for which kicks off today. Photo courtesy of Colleen Shine.

There are 58,000 names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The new initiative, called The Education Center at The Wall — which will feature a new, underground building on the National Mall along with exhibits — is being designed to show the faces of those indelible names.

And even though the design of the building is still underway, a National Call for Photos campaign kicks off today at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Exhibits will include a wall of photographs of people whose names are on The Wall, a selection of the more than 100,000 items that have been left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a timeline of key military events of the Vietnam War and a history of the memorial. See further coverage here and here.
UPDATE: Have a photo to submit? It’s easy to submit through DefenseLink.com’s new portal.

It’s Friday! (And there was much rejoicing.)

Time once again for my Friday Five. (Yes, I know that name is overused, but I couldn’t think of anything better.)

1. Japanese IQ test. Not sure if it was really used in Japan, but it is a puzzler. It took me a couple of tries before I finally figured it out. But I love brain quizzes.

2. Movies in 15 Minutes. Don’t have time (or money… and who does, in this economy) to see the latest movie? Don’t worry! Cleolinda offers hilarious recaps of the biggest blockbusters. Although… they are funnier if you have seen the movie and/or read the books, in the case of her Harry Potter parodies.

3. The Faeries’ Oracle Interactive Tarot Deck. This online deck offers both single-card and three-card spread readings. But the real reason I like this site is because the artwork is by Brian Froud, the conceptual artist of The Dark Crystal and my favorite movie of all time, Labyrinth.

4. Newseum. A collection of newspaper front pages from around the world.

5. “Do You Want to Date My Avatar.” This is a music video starring Felicia Day (“Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”) with music by Jed Whedon was created to promote season 3 of “The Guild,” a Web series written by Day about online gaming. I haven’t seen all the episodes yet, but what I have seen is hilarious! And the song is catchy. I’ve been singing it in my head since I first heard it.