House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has a big birthday coming up on Friday, and after passing historic healthcare reform legislation this week, she's got plenty to celebrate.
But while her office is remaining mum on the Speaker's plans, the owner of Washington's toniest gift shop has some great ideas for birthday presents. Keith Lipert counts royalty, ambassadors, CEOs, and members of Congress among the clients who come to his Georgetown shop for help deciding on the perfect, and most diplomatic gifts. He's too discreet to name them, of course, but he shared his suggestions for what Pelosi's colleagues might give her.
He advises to "consider asking a few people who admire her to inscribe a leather-bound Constitution, which only costs $20, thanking her for her service."
For personal friends and people who've "been in the trenches with [Pelosi]," Lipert said that, "women can give her a necklace, but I'd recommend to a man that he give her a brooch. And for a spring birthday, a cherry blossom symbolizes Washington and renewal."
Pelosi wears necklaces often, and the pink of cherry blossoms could be a fun compliment to her solid-colored suits.
Whatever you do, said Lipert, have fun with it. "For birthdays you should give people something happy, not too official, and something that makes them smile when they open it."
When most people hear the words "Alaskan beauty queen," "snow machine racing," and "politics" all in the same sentence, they think of Sarah and Todd Palin. But Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) thinks about his upcoming weekend.
Young (pictured here catching a ride to a recent constituent meeting) is the honorary chair of the 2010 Arctic Man ski and snow machine race, and he's getting ready to spend three days in April riding around on a SnowCat, crowning the winner of this year's Miss Arctic Man competition, and interacting with his constituents at one of the most extreme sporting events in North America.
Now in its 25th year, Arctic Man is a race that pairs a skier and a snow machine racer for what looks a lot like waterskiing in the snow. The skier races down a mountain, links up with a snow machine, the machine pulls the skier at speeds up to 80 miles per hour up a slope, and then the skier races down to a finish line. With no shortage of danger, little wonder it's one of the most popular events all year in the rugged, northernmost state. As Young's spokeswoman said, "it's sort of like NASCAR up North."
Held high in the HooDoo Mountains south of Fairbanks, the course is accessible to spectators only by snow machine. But that doesn't stop more than 13,000 Alaskans from attending, making the race grounds, temporarily, the fifth largest "city" in the entire state.
The 76-year-old Young, an experienced snow machine driver, is staying in a cabin in the mountains near the racetrack for three days of outdoor competition that culminates in the Arctic Man race. For Young, the race combines, "aggressive athleticism" with "backcountry moxie," making it one of the most exciting events he's ever seen.
Young won't be the only famous Alaskan politician cheering on the racers: Todd Palin will race with his partner, four-time Arctic Man ski champ Peter Kakes. Sarah Palin is expected to be in the snowy stands.
The classic movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is a fictional tale about a senator who speaks on the Senate floor until he collapses in order to filibuster a bill.
But if Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) gets his way, talking to exhaustion could soon be a real-life possibility in the upper chamber.
Lautenberg, 86, has introduced what he calls the "Mr. Smith Bill," which would require senators who want to filibuster legislation to appear in person on the Senate floor to debate it. Currently, any senator can place a filibuster on a bill, and that filibuster will hold until either it's lifted, or a full week has passed, regardless of where the member is standing.
Lautenberg won't stand for that (pun intended).
“Filibusters should happen on Capitol Hill, not from the Capital Grille," he said in a statement on Wednesday, referring to the popular Capitol Hill restaurant.
Lautenberg went on to say the if his fellow senators want to "stop all work in the Senate, they should have no problem standing on the Senate floor to explain their opposition."
Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) has made her pick for this season's "Dancing with the Star" and her choice is off to an impressive start.
The GOP lawmaker took to the House floor Tuesday to wish Olympic gold-medal figure skater Evan Lysacek good luck on the popular dancing show, and to congratulate him for his win in Vancouver.
Lysacek (shown here rehearsing with his dance partner) started skating as a kid in Naperville, Ill., which is located in Biggert's district.
The skater's smooth moves on the ice appear to be paying off on the dance floor, where he came in second place on Monday's season premiere. Astronaut and GOP supporter Buzz Aldrin, 80, came in last.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) is close to reaching a deal with
Rockville, Md.- based Discovery Productions on her Alaska-based
nature/reality show, "Alaska," according to numerous reports Tuesday.
Palin has been pitching the project for more than a month to broadcast
and cable networks on both coasts, but Monday's report that A&E was
no longer bidding for the project leaves Discovery as the last
contender standing.
According to Variety, the final price tag is more than $1 million per
episode, which would make "Alaska" the most expensive nature show ever
produced.
Palin, a Fox News Channel analyst, partnered with "Survivor" creator
Mark Burnett on the project, and she and her family will reportedly
appear on the show.
A spokesman for Discovery Communications declined to comment about the deal, but a statement is expected in the coming days.
Singer-actress Mandy Moore and environmentalist Alexandra Cousteau were on Capitol Hill Tuesday in honor of World Water Day March 22.
The two participated in a Congressional briefing on the effect of water, sanitation and hygiene on global health and development and then visited Upper Senate Park, where they took photos with students from Oyster Adams Elementary in D.C. and HB Woodlawn School in Arlington. The photo opportunity was the world's longest toilet queue, to draw attention to the lack of water and sanitation globally.
Cousteau, whose grandfather is famed explorer Jacques Cousteau, talked about how water sanitation effects everything from illnesses to climate change. Moore, who was wearing dark skinny jeans, a blazer and World Water Day t-shirt, talked about her trip to Sudan at the briefing.
After the photos at the toilet line, Moore was friendly and stayed briefly to sign autographs for the students.
President
Barack Obama used 22 commemorative pens to sign healthcare reform into law Tuesday, which is four more than he would need to write every letter of his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, with a separate pen. Obama's traditional signature does not include his middle name, however, so it's unlikely he would have written it on the bill.
As he methodically signed the landmark bill one letter at a time, the left-handed president looked up at the crowd and said, "I hadn't practiced this."
Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the longest serving member of the House and a witness to scores of presidential signings, reassured him,"You're doing fine, Mr. President."
The White House reports that Obama will hand out 20 of the historic pens to the
following witnesses:
1. Reid 2. Durbin 3. Baucus 4. Harkin 5. Dodd 6. Speaker Pelosi 7. Hoyer 8. Clyburn 9. Miller 10. Waxman 11. Levin 12. Dingell 13. Rangel 14. Vice President Biden 15. Sebelius 16. Vicki Kennedy 17. Nancy-Ann DeParle 18. Phil Schiliro 19. Sister Carol Keehan, presisdent of the Caholic Health Association 20. President Obama
Introducing
President Obama at the healthcare signing event today, Vice President Joe Biden let
slip a celebratory remark he probably didn't intend to be public.
Luckily for us, a stray microphone picked it up.
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs seemed to agree with Biden's sentiment. He just tweeted: "And yes Mr. Vice President, you're right..."
Several Democratic lawmakers took to Twitter Tuesday right before the signing of the healthcare reform bill at the White House.
Members
of Congress who supported the bill were invited to attend the East Room
signing, as well as other dignitaries and some citizens whose personal
stories were used by Democrats in support of reform.
