Should Old Aquaintence Be Forgot...bah da de bah da da da...

We all do it...blame in on the champagne but who honestly knows the words to our new year's mantra? As the country stumbles through the lyrics at midnight, and 9, 10 and 11 pm in California (we're cheaters- no shame), ever wonder why we keep singing it?

The Origins of Tradition Bring Sense to New Year's Festivities

By EMILY NELSON

Dec. 30, 2006 —

We toast. We kiss at midnight. We even stumble through the lyrics of a song we're not sure we know the words to. But why?

This year, as millions of Americans finalize New Year's celebration plans, the traditions of the holiday season are never far from thoughts and actions. The origin of why we do what we do sometimes reveals good reasons to hold onto the old while ushering in the new year.

The Midnight Kiss

Perhaps the most iconic image of a New Year's Eve celebration is the highly anticipated midnight kiss. And according to German and English folklore, there is reason to plan ahead for the smooch.

Legend emphasizes that the first person you come in contact with in the New Year -- be it a friendly face or an unfavorable acquaintance -- is indicative of the luck that awaits you in the coming year.

In more recent times, the midnight kiss has been thought of as a telling sign of the year to come in matters of the heart.

For those serious about scheduling their luck, online communities like Craigslist have been filling up with posts for those partygoers looking to book a kiss on the big night.

A recently single 25-year-old Manhattanite posted: "Looking for a romantic girl to kiss New Year's Eve in Times Square."

A Craigslister in Chicago waxes nostalgic, "Of all the holiday relationship joys, that is the one that I miss the most, as the countdown winds itself to 1."

A search term like "New Year's Eve kiss" can lead you to a countless number of others looking to find the same.

"I've never been kissed on New Year's Eve," says one user. "I'm crossing my fingers for this year."

What's That Song?

Often described as the world's most popular song no one knows the words to, "Auld Lang Syne" has become something of a soundtrack for midnight on New Year's Eve.

The title of the Scottish tune translates to "times gone by" and is about remembering friends from the past and not letting them be forgotten.

Despite its strong association with New Year's Eve, "Auld Lang Syne," written by Robert Burns in the 1700s, was never intended to be a holiday song. Guy Lombardo is credited with popularizing the song when his band used it as a segue between two radio programs during a live performance at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York in 1929. By mere coincidence, they played "Auld Lang Syne" just after the clock hit midnight, and a New Year's tradition was born.

Offering a Toast

Americans consumed over 20.6 million bottles of champagne over the course of the calendar year, with 40 percent purchased in the last six weeks. It's an indication that it would be unimaginable to toast 2007 with anything other than bubbly, as good food and drink have long been auspicious signs for welcoming the new year across the globe.

The Office of Champagne, USA, based in Washington, D.C., says they get hundreds of inquiries about champagne etiquette in the month of December.

"This is by far our busiest month of the year," said a spokesman for the organization. "We get a lot of people asking about how to serve champagne and what the best way is to store it."

A wine lover's Web site warns that when it's time for the toast, it's important to proceed with caution when popping the cork. On average, it leaves the bottle at a speed of 42 feet-per-second.

Ending the Night with a Bang

Fireworks and noisemakers at the moment of the New Year date back 2,000 years to China, where they believed the revelry would frighten away evil spirits.

Perhaps the best known (and least favorite) of all New Year's traditions is the New Year's resolution, which first started with the Babylonians. Though the tradition remains, the resolutions have changed over time. Four thousand years ago, Babylonians most likely pledged to return borrowed farm equipment once the new year dawned. In 2006, the majority of Americans resolved to lose weight.

There's one part of the ancient Babylonian tradition that has not changed over time -- habitually breaking the resolution before the year's end.

I like to sing....

Particularly about items of the obvious. Aly and I back in middle school invented a sing-a-long for our plane rides: (to the tune of a taco bell a taco bell) A fed ex plane a fed ex plane.

Well last weekend we had our annual obnoxious sweater party and I donned my red holiday skirt. Keep in mind this bad boy only comes out once a year. I am sure by now if you are reading this, you've heard me sing at and perform the accompanying dance so here we go - You wish you had a skirt like this Kacha Kacha! (response: you wish you had a sweater like this kacha kacha!)

Back By Popular Demand

OBNX Sweater Party Is HERE!

Take a break from those boring Holiday Parties and come have a beer! But first let me tell the tale of said festivus.

In the wee formative years of the social institution Pink Cashmere, a young leader emerged to initiate an event so perfect, so brilliant, many have described it as Legen……wait for it…..dary! That’s right Legendary!

It was one single evening above the rest, where those with classic puffy paint sweaters could mingle along side snowflake skiing pullovers, Ralph Lauren knits, along side 3-D Christmas tributes.

Well that party master has exported his talents this year to teach English in France leaving the ladies of Chez Copacabana to pick up the slack (typical Jon Tollefson right?)

So what is this grand gala you may be asking about that has Jen gushing (you all know it doesn’t take much). It’s the annual Obnoxious Sweater party!

Lets clarify, this is NOT your average holiday party oh no, nor is it an…..Ugly Sweater Party, those are so cliché! And it is NOT one of those insider parties where everyone-knows-everyone-else type deals and you feel like the schmuck making small talk at the punch bowl full of Santa’s Sangria!

This is the legendary come one-come-all from all walks of life and a social network, even the most seasoned bureaucrat couldn’t keep straight. It’s the cool kids clubs of the chez copa network.

Time to cut the crap: The stats-
We have basic supplies, but in never hurts to bring your favorite brew or vintage.
Call time – 8pm Saturday 12/15
Chez Copa
(2000 S. Eads #1227, Arlington VA 22202)

Parking – anywhere and theirs plenty, just avoid the actual building’s lot, they are nasty little elves who tow.

Metro – Crystal City on the blue and orange line. Take the only escalators available to the surface and walk to 18th street (on your left hand side.) Hang a right and walk in the direction of the Sheraton (under the bridge). Then hang a left and walk to 20th. We are the huge building Crystal House II on your right hand side. Just buzz in and come upstairs.

Don’t worry if you need to crash at copa, we have plenty of space!

Cell Phone #s
Jen 202 431 9063
Linds 516.459.3089
Katie 202.431.9749

All That and They Bake Too!

Your Copa Holiday Report

As of last night, the shomosh slid across the menorah, lighting 6 candles, we sung ourselves halfway around the advent wreath, the tree continues to glow from the copa windows at night (longer when we throw our carbon footprint over the balcony) and the girls huddled around Auntie Jo's kitchen last Saturday to crank out over 15 different recipes.

You wish you were there but you can enjoy the fruits of their labor ... just need to find one of the cookie bags!

Next week.....obnoxious sweater party!

Keeping Things In Perspective

Today is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor and there are things to be said, unfortunately my soap box is in the shop so I am going to borrow from others who said it better. At 23 and with an opinion on everything, I would like to think I fully understand what it means to sacrifice and defend. Many of the soldiers at Pearl Harbor then and in the middle east now are practicing what they preach. There is no message more powerful than that of action and no political party or posture that can negate it. Regardless of the premise that lead us to war in Iraq, men and women are both civilian and armed services are making a difference away from home, as did our Hawaiian Heroes.

It is the VETERAN , not the preacher,who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN , not the reporter,who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN , not the poet,who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN , not the campus organizer,who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN , not the lawyer,who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN , not the politician,Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the VETERAN ,who salutes the Flag and who serves under the Flag.

As we make our lists, check them twice, and dash between festivities take a second to appreciate what they sacrifice so we can celebrate.

This is from my boss here at Innovatech and it was articulated beautifully. This hits particularly close to home as our step brother Jeff is also serving. We are lucky enough to have him home this year, but not all families are as fortunate. Thank you Jeff and your colleagues for the sacrifices you have made and the work that you do.

As you know Matt has had a big brother, Howard 'Chip" for some time now. Today, Pearl Harbor Day, is their 9 year anniversary!! What a difference Chip has made in Matt's life. He is a wonderful, kind and generous man who has helped Matt develop and grow over the years. Regardless of where Chip was living he always stayed in touch. Today Chip is in town and he and Matt are going out to celebrate at Old Ebbit Grill which is which is where they had their first official 'date'! That is the happy part, the sad part is, Chip is here to celebrate Christmas, Matt's 18th birthday and Matt's graduation also, as he is being deployed to Iraq, for the third time, for 14 months. This is going to be a very emotional day for us both as we celebrate, but also have to say goodbye. I am writing this just as a reminder during this holiday season as we celebrate with friends and family, that not everyone gets to be home for the holidays, and regardless of your feelings on the war, just take a moment to keep all of our Military personnel in your thoughts and prayers for a safe return! I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Just Do It Already (Corn the Wave of the Future)

Tom, you know I love you, but the money is there already for research. Regardless of your opinion on the war, we should be considering alternative fuel sources. Period. And not just considering, we should have implemented and started transitioning yesterday. We don't need a tax, we need leadership. And this one I am going to hand off yep you guessed it to the Feds. Folks the research is done, we found alternatives, let getter done. (obviously I understand its not a direct swap but I only have so much time to make my point today, tune in later for more brazen politico-babble)

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Two dates — two numbers. Read them and weep for what could have, and should have, been. On Sept. 11, 2001, the OPEC basket oil price was $25.50 a barrel. On Nov. 13, 2007, the OPEC basket price was around $90 a barrel.

In the wake of 9/11, some of us pleaded for a “patriot tax” on gasoline of $1 or more a gallon to diminish the transfers of wealth we were making to the very countries who were indirectly financing the ideologies of intolerance that were killing Americans and in order to spur innovation in energy efficiency by U.S. manufacturers.

But no, George Bush and Dick Cheney had a better idea. And the Democrats went along for the ride. They were all going to let the market work and not let our government shape that market — like OPEC does.

You’d think that one person, just one, running for Congress or the Senate would take a flier and say: “Oh, what the heck. I’m going to lose anyway. Why not tell the truth? I’ll support a gasoline tax.”

Not one. Everyone just runs away from the “T-word” and watches our wealth run away to Russia, Venezuela and Iran.

I can’t believe that someone could not win the following debate:

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE: “My Democratic opponent, true to form, wants to raise your taxes. Yes, now he wants to raise your taxes at the gasoline pump by $1 a gallon. Another tax-and-spend liberal who wants to get into your pocket.”

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: “Yes, my opponent is right. I do favor a gasoline tax phased in over 12 months. But let’s get one thing straight: My opponent and I are both for a tax. I just prefer that my taxes go to the U.S. Treasury, and he’s ready to see his go to the Russian, Venezuelan, Saudi and Iranian treasuries. His tax finances people who hate us. Mine would offset some of our payroll taxes, pay down our deficit, strengthen our dollar, stimulate energy efficiency and shore up Social Security. It’s called win-win-win-win-win for America. My opponent’s strategy is sit back, let the market work and watch America lose-lose-lose-lose-lose.” If you can’t win that debate, you don’t belong in politics.

“Think about it,” says Phil Verleger, an energy economist. “We could have replaced the current payroll tax with a gasoline tax. Middle-class consumers would have seen increased take-home pay of between six and nine percent, even though they would have had to pay more at the pump. A stronger foundation for future economic growth would have been laid by keeping more oil revenue home, and we might not now be facing a recession.”

As a higher gas tax discouraged oil consumption, the Harvard University economist and former Bush adviser N. Gregory Mankiw has argued: “the price of oil would fall in world markets. As a result, the price of gas to [U.S.] consumers would rise by less than the increase in the tax. Some of the tax would in effect be paid by Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.”

But U.S. consumers would have known that, with a higher gasoline tax locked in for good, pump prices would never be going back to the old days, adds Mr. Verleger, so they would have a much stronger incentive to switch to more fuel-efficient vehicles and Detroit would have had to make more hybrids to survive. This would have put Detroit five years ahead of where it is now. “It’s called the America wins program,” said Mr. Verleger, “instead of the petro-states win program.”

We simply cannot go on being as dumb as we wanna be. If you hate the war in Iraq, then you want a gasoline tax so you can argue that we can pull out of there without remaining dependent on an even more unstable region. If you want to see us negotiate with Iran, not bomb it, you want a gasoline tax that will give us some real leverage by helping to reduce the income of the ayatollahs.

If you’re a conservative and you believed that the Iraq war was necessary to drive reform in the Middle East, but the war has failed to do that and we need “Plan B” for the same objective, you want a gasoline tax that will reduce the flow of wealth to petrolist leaders who will never change if all they have to do is drill well holes rather than educate and empower their people.

If you want to see America thrive by becoming the most energy productive economy in the world — a title that now belongs to Japan, which doesn’t have a drop of oil in its soil — you want a gasoline tax, which will only spur U.S. innovation in energy efficiency.

President Bush squandered a historic opportunity to put America on a radically different energy course after 9/11. But considering how few Democrats or Republicans are ready to tell the people the truth on this issue, maybe we have the president we deserve. I refuse to believe that, but I’m starting to doubt myself.

From The Mouth Of Babes

Here's a real glimpse of Brilliance! If you haven't been tipped of yet who I'm marking in on my absentee ballot, you will find both my and Madeline Albright's chad completely absent next to the Clinton Box. But I am always interested in what the other jibber-jabbers have to say before they are shut down by the orator extraordinare.

Setting himself up for a sure-fire shut down, Barak Obama makes a swipe for the youth vote to flesh out his slowly dwindling fan base as he sticks it to the political "geezers." In his carefully crafted rhetoric, the sophomoric Senator slams the baby boomers:

"There's no doubt that we represent the kind of change Senator Clinton can't deliver on. And part of it's generational," Obama told FOX News." Senator Clinton and others have been fighting some of the same fights since the '60s. It makes it very difficult for them to bring the country together to get things done. And I think that's what people hunger for."

Way to marginalize the vote Barack, that's how your going to cross those party lines...sounds like audacious hope, or fantastical ignorance. It's clear he's going 'youth is advantagous' argument. I'm sorry Obama - you are no Bill or Kennedy.

Are you going to use that same argument when addressing Israel and Palestine? Iran and Syria? Korea? China? How about stabilizing the economy, funding education, and streamlining social programs like social security. Call me silly, but I think we should approach those issues with the whole team at the table. The older generation may actually know what they're talking about, I mean they've been dealing with these problems since the sixties.

Barack, stop bumbling and get back to your job.

Snapshot of Brilliance

This is a great shot from the Post with Annie Leibovitz as she took us through her exhibition at the Corcoran. As a journalist, she does through photography what I can only dream to do with a microphone, capture the very core of a person or story in a single moment.

Annie Leibovitz @ the Corcoran Gallery of Art

Let's get this out of the way: Whether you like it or not, Annie Leibovitz is an American Icon. Her intimate portrait photographs of the famous are so pervasive that even if you don't know the name, you're guaranteed to have seen her work, and lots of it. She began her career with Rolling Stone magazine when it was in its infancy, photographing the musically talented, and quickly became known for her deconstruction of human facades. A portrait of famed dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, whose knees had not suffered well the brutality of decades of leaps and pirouettes, shows him being lifted high into the air by a colleague, imitating the peak to which he had brought his artform and the level of respect he continued to earn, even if his body could no longer prove it.
This photo, taken in 1990, marks the historical beginning of the exhibition A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005, opening at the Corcoran Gallery of Art tomorrow. Its conceptualization began a few years prior, when in a very short period of time, both Leibovitz's father and her decade-long lover, Susan Sontag, died, and her three children were born. Leibovitz is candid about the raw emotions that preceded this show, even going so far as to say that if she had the chance to do it over again, she wouldn't.
The answer isn't surprising, given the volume of personal moments included in the exhibit. While half the gallery contains the images by which we know her -- a nude and very pregnant Demi Moore, a cinematically brooding Al Pacino, a stately General Schwarzkopf in spic 'n span whites -- the other half is filled with personal snapshots, from a day at the beach to Sontag's last days as she battled and lost her fight with cancer.
The snapshots could, by themselves, be about as exciting as flipping through your great Aunt's photo album -- unspectacular images of people you don't know, doing mundane activities ("And here's the sandcastle Jimmy made. Isn't it great? A born architect, that one."). But here, nailed to the wall between Brad Pitt and Scarlett Johansson, both of whom are posed laying prostrate in elaborate get-ups and looking at us in some unverifiable degree of uncomfortableness, the snapshots turn her exposing lens around. It's not that we get an inside peek into the life of this American Icon (well, maybe a little), it's that this precisely is her talent, so it's almost a you-got-what's-comin'-to-ya moment, and the fact that it pains her makes it all the more important. If it didn't, the balance would be shattered, and the exhibit would be one of Vanity Fair covers with inexplicable Kodak Moments wedged between, interrupting our superficial feast of the rich and famous.
The exhibit also shows her skill as "one of the foremost documenters of our generation," in her own words. Her portraits and her snapshots capture moments in a timeline, in two different ways. First, let's take the portraits: while the friends and families of these famous people may disagree, their true cultural importance is the moment in time in which they are a celebrity. Marilyn Monroe may still be famous, but pictures of her invoke the 50s and 60s: a moment in time. So Leibovitz has the enviable duty of capturing these culturally relevant moments that mark 1990 (Stormin' Norman), that mark 2005 (The White Stripes). She gives us the sleek, beautiful people in sleek, beautiful photographs on the covers of magazines so we can buy them and take them home and be a part of the whole culture ourselves.
And yet her talent lies in not just checking off dates on the calendar, but enriching the timeline with depth, because she is able to capture the intimate nature of a persona in one, elegant photograph. Leonardo DiCaprio is shown smiling into the camera in a black turtleneck, holding a swan whose neck has curled around his own, entwined with the animal the way he views his life as a whole entwined with all of nature. A portrait of Pres. Bush and his cabinet taken in December 2001 shows the group, not in the Oval Office, as they'd suggested, but in the less formal Cabinet Room. Gathered around the front of the corner of the long table, Condoleezza Rice sits in the center, like the unsure matriarch of the men looming over her from all sides, while Pres. Bush takes up the most space, standing with shoulders squarely to the lens, hands on hips to push his coat back so his Presidential Seal belt buckle glints in the light, cocky grin firmly in place. It looks like a portrait of the Sopranos family. (Oh right, she did that, too.)
Leibovitz's snapshots, on the other hand, are the flip-side. They capture only a fraction of a second in a life. In them we see nothing more than a hiking trip or a lazy afternoon, but displayed together they create her life. Unlike the formal portraits, these must be numerous to show depth, to show the series of events that make up our real, complicated lives that don't fit nicely into a celebrity persona peg made to fit into the culture hole.
A highlight of the exhibit is the series of portraits of the Queen of England, taken just before her sojourn in the States earlier this year for the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement. Since they're so recent, this is the first leg of the exhibit's tour in which they've been displayed. In a rare moment, Leibovitz encouraged the Queen to remove her crown (a nude?) and the result is still a noble woman standing calm and regal on the land she rules, no matter the somewhat tumultuous sky behind her.
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is located at 500 17th Street NW and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Monday, with extended hours until 9 p.m. on Thursdays. See the web site for admission information. A Photographer's Life is currently exhibited alongside the work of another iconic photographer, Ansel Adams.
Top image by Heather Goss. Brad Pitt, Las Vegas, 1994 and Susan at the House on Hedges Lane, Wainscott, Long Island, 1988, chromogenic prints, courtesy the Corcoran Gallery and copyright Annie Leibovitz.

Crystal Clear Evening

You may know him as Mike Wyzowski or the shrink that can analyze this.... but Tuesday night, we all met the Billy (not to be confused with my billy as in Clinton). It was notable how well he captured the nuances of the campus; getting a chance to speak with him one-on-one off stage, this was a result of several days research of his own. The end product: In just a brief one hour performance, he had the students giggling, the parents rolling, and the administrators blushing as they nodded in acquiescence. Oh Billy!

Crystal-clear comedy
By: Emily CahnHatchet ReporterPosted: 10/15/07
Phlegm and sex do not usually mix, but for Billy Crystal it was a perfect match during this year's Colonials Weekend headline performances at Smith Center.
Crystal, the actor and frequent Oscar host, joked about sex and drugs and played with racial and cultural stereotypes throughout his performances."What happens at the Smith Center stays at the Smith Center," Crystal said during the nearly sold-out show on Friday night.The comedian included many jokes about GW in his act which drew heavy laughter from the crowd. Crystal joked about GW's mascot, the school's colors and the student body composition.

"This is a great school," he said. "I did a lot of research there's 9,700 undergrads here from 130 countries, so it's like dinner time at Angelina Jolie's house."
Crystal said Colonials Weekend is a great tradition at GW, noting that this was the first time many parents had seen their children in five weeks.
"It's hard for your parents when you leave…they're thinking, 'That's the last time I'll see my baby!' and you're thinking, 'I'll move home in about two to three years,'" he said.
Political jokes were also weaved into his act. Crystal joked about how times have not changed much since he went to college in 1965.
"Back then we had a president from Texas who we really didn't like and were involved in a war we really couldn't win," he said.
Crystal, who has hosted the Oscars on eight separate occasions, played a video clip of the opening monologue to the last event he hosted. The clip, a parody of classic movies, was played on Thursday night when he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, a prestigious comedy honor awarded at the Kennedy Center.
Crystal ended the Friday night show with an interactive scene, where he brought on stage a GW parent, two students and University President Steven Knapp and asked them to make animal noises as if they were in the jungle.
"Dr. Knapp is the greatest sport ever," Crystal said in an interview after the Friday night show. "We had a great time together. The students got to see him in a different way and I think that was really important."
Crystal said he had not done a college show in a while. "Its refreshing, really keeps you on your toes," he said.
Junior Blake Baron said Crystal picked the right jokes for his audience. "I'm Jewish, so the Jewish jokes were hilarious," he said. "Billy Crystal really appealed to students and parents as well. It was fun to watch and I was enthralled the entire time."
Peter Konwerski, assistant vice president of Student and Academic Support Services, said the performances were a success. Friday night's show was nearly sold out, and Saturday's was sold out.The ability to purchase tickets to the performances was opened to the general public this year, which Konwerski said has happened in the past.
About 200 seats were opened to the public so that those who came to see Crystal for the Mark Twain Awards would be able to see his performance at Smith Center, Konwerski said.
"I think people seemed like they were having a great time," he said. "That was the most important thing for all of us."

Media Bias? Never!

Just today, the two major media outlets in DC covered the Clinton Fumble of the Tuesday Dem Debates. The washington post, typically considered to have a lib slant headlined: Clinton Regroups As Rivals Pounce, while the Washington Times, tending to be more conservative, slapped this headline on its front page above the fold: Hillary draws fire for aliens answer! Interesting comparison, no?!

Verbal Dysentery

The things that spill out of one's mouth, when one is not putting food into it.........

Conservative author Ann Coulter finds herself in the middle of a firestorm once again after remarks on a CNBC television show in which she said Jews need "to be perfected" and suggested the nation would be better off if it were all-Christian.

The whole story: