It was precisely dinners such as these - whether at Mary House's or City Tavern or the Indian Queen - that proved so important in soothing hurt feelings or nudging delegates toward a common understanding of the complex issues with which they were wrestling. The Founding Fathers lived in an age when men of high social station appreciated the benefits of lubricious conviviality. While that evening at Mary House's may not have led to a breakthrough on the thorny issues surrounding the American presidency, it did help to restore some of the collegiality that would be necessary if the delegates were going to resolve the remaining issues still confronting them.I first became interested in reading Plain, honest men after watching Jon Stewart's Daily Show interview of Dr. Beeman. You might find it funny, as I did, that Beeman actually refers to himself as "pedantic" in the context of the interview - one of the few consistent criticisms of his writing - just prior to quoting the Fourteenth Constitutional Amendment verbatim. To his apology, Jon responds: "I'm a pedantic talk show host. You might as well be a pedantic constitutional scholar."
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Exclusive - Richard Beeman Extended Interview Pt. 1 | ||||
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| front porch view while I work |
Communities at every echelon of government and in every geographic sector are working to answer these questions: What planning strategies work to help communities adapt to the new geological and ecological disposition of our future planet? How does a local government best safeguard the future health, welfare and public safety of its citizens? Such questions are even more pronounced for coastal communities, who face an extensive set of threats and hazards, including: hurricanes, coastal erosion, wetland deprivation, and floods. In addition, as the full effects of climate change become manifest, coastal communities will face a range of increasingly severe challenges. In response to their respective vulnerabilities, many localities have taken anticipatory adaptive actions to increase resilience to potential coastal hazards. All coastal communities stand to benefit by incorporating adaptation-oriented planning practices into their existing system of governance. Each unique coastal community must employ a combination of best adaptation practices from other communities and stakeholder-empowered decision making to strengthen climate adaptation planning within its jurisdiction.
It is nearly midnight, and I expect to be at this for the rest of the night. I just started coffee brewing; I must finish before the movers get here at 9am. I didn't anticipate how melancholy I would be, packing up my place. I have spent a whole year here, and it is tough to say goodbye to my cute little apartment.
There is a lot of excitement to be had though, too. I have no idea what is coming next. I'm moving my possessions to storage, leaving for the coast, and figuring it out as I go! What could be more thrilling? Wish me luck. I will try to post some "after" pics of the clean/ empty apartment when I finish. Bissous!
But you only live once, and there is no sense succumbing to anxiety, sadness, bitterness, anger... you get the idea. I have been increasingly worried and stressed these past few weeks, but I just keep picking up the pace, looking for the eye of the storm. I have enjoyed the good fortune of a world-class graduate education at Virginia Tech, national conferences in New Orleans and Boston, the support of good friends and family, boundless joy in the "little things" and those ohmygoodness-once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that seem to happen to me more often than my fair share. On top of that, I am super excited about my new best friend, Ed. We seem to catalyze great energy in each other and inspire both excellence and stop-and-smell-the-roses sentiment. Good stuff.
