Arielle - tsk tsk! How have you not encountered Humboldt Fog, one of THE best cheeses out there. Hie thee to Cowgirl Creamery, stat, to remedy this!
What I want to know is why exactly the senior administration official insisted on anonymity for telling the reporter about the lunch. How is this a state secret again?
Oh. my. god. Please tell me that was in 1946.
I have no idea what the story's about - I keep getting snagged on that picture. That is one seriously freaking cute cub.
When I lived in Paris, they didn't have any outdoor trashcans for this very reason (bombs in trashcans, just not IRA-placed ones).
One of the most fun nights I have had was volunteering at the French emassby (now you've got everyone doing it, Arielle!)'s beaujolais nouveau party. Yes, we had to wear crappy aprons which identified us as the help, but after enough glasses of wine, the class distinction melts. Also, I got placed at the Orangina table, which was not very busy considering that everyone was there for the vino, so my friend and I were able to take turns raiding the cheese and pastry trays.
About freaking time DC has one of these theaters. When I first moved here, back in the heyday of the Clinton administration, there were a handful of them. Yes, you may have had to make sure you got to the show early enough that you could avoid sitting behind a pillar (because all well-designed movie theaters have pillars running down the middle), but still, they showed some interesting movies. Then, under the Bush administration, they all dried up (not sure that there is a relation, but hey, I'll blame this on him too). Now, we have an independent theater AND martinis - yes we can indeed!
My money's on it being a reflected contrail from a passing aircraft. Contrails: not just for dispersing mind control chemicals any more!