Friday, 1 April, 2005 17:48
Global Stringers: Ben
Thomas | |
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 | | Global
Stringers - Ben
Thomas |
| | Name:
Ben Thomas
Location:
Virginia, Washington, USA
Connection:
I've got family in Emsworth
Distance from here:
4798 miles |
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| Date:
Friday, April 1, 2005 | Spring
arrives late this year. Washington’s Cherry Blossom festival began free of blossoms,
but after days of sheeting rain and grey sky, temperatures are rising and so are
the daffodils. It may not be Paris, but Washington in spring (elegantly laid out
by a Frenchman) always bursts with color.
Our cousins in Aylesbury arrived
on Good Friday for a much anticipated visit, their first to us. We treated them
to a bit of stereotypical American excess, with twice as much food as needed that
evening. We enjoyed a tour of the monuments, but the biggest hit was a monument
carved by Nature.
Ten miles from Georgetown, Great Falls and the Potomac
Gorge may be Washington’s most spectacular sights. They testify to the power of
the river, cutting down from the bedrock of the piedmont to the coastal plain.
Great Falls is a must see if you’re planning a visit.
Cheers,
Ben
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Ìý | Date:
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005 | | February
21, 2005 February has brought something new to Washington, D.C. this year. The
front page of the Post has featured pictures of baseball players in bright red
uniforms emblazoned with the letters DC, beginning spring workouts in Florida.
Major league baseball is returning here after an absence of more than 30 years.
The new team is called the Nationals, and they have re-located from Montreal.
Until a new stadium is built, the team will play straight down the street from
the U.S. Capitol, at RFK stadium. (That’s RFK as in Robert F. Kennedy.) Few expect
them to win many games this year, but sports fans in Washington are thrilled nonetheless.
The season officially opens in April and, as in any baseball town in the U.S.,
the next several weeks will be filled with optimism as we get to know the Nationals.
These days, Washington feels like a sports town. Cheers, Ben |
| Date:
Thursday, January 20, 2005 | Wintry
temperatures and snow have finally arrived here in Washington, just in time for
the inauguration. Inaugurations always transform Washington for the week… a final
celebration for the victors before getting back to work. For the partisans on
the other side… a bit of grumbling and perhaps even a few protests. The inauguration
may be America’s most powerful political symbol - the peaceful transition of power.
But for a second-term president, it doesn’t have the same resonance. So other
world events… the tsunami and the war in Iraq in particular… plus the new levels
of security snarling traffic across the city seem to make the grumbles a bit louder
than usual. Most are ready to move on I think. It has all added up to a rather
cranky January.
Still, all sides should be able to have some fun in the snow!
Cheers, Ben |
| Date:
Thursday, December 16, 2004 | Finished
short video documenting the removal of a dam on New York's Neversink River. The
dam cut off the upper reaches to migratory fish, some coming from the Atlantic
to spawn. As a result the river’s biodiversity declined. The scene this fall was
extraordinary: gigantic excavators with pneumatic jackhammers alongside aquatic
biologists rescuing fish and surveyors re-grading the river bed. Today, it has
the feel of a new home… newly restored habitat for aquatic species. Next spring,
we will see whether fish are returning to historic spawning grounds and to what
degree nature restores itself.
The Neversink has an English connection
of a sort… American fly-fishing originated here when anglers realized their flies
imitated English not American insects. Christmas lights festoon our neighborhood.
Our display is modest compared with houses lit by herds of electric reindeer.
Sports scandals dominate headlines… NBA brawl and baseball’s steroid scandal.
Iraq news comes daily, though.
Christmas Cheers to all!
Ben |
| Date:
Friday, November 19, 2004 | Greetings
from Falls Church, Virginia. I chucked a career in television news 11 years ago
to join a conservation group dedicated to preserving biodiversity. I'm Director
of Film & Video Programs, so I spend most of my time making short documentaries
about our projects across the United States and around the world… at least when
I'm not tending to more bureaucratic duties that come with working in a large
organization.
Falls Church lies inside the Washington beltway… a highway
that rings the U.S. capital. Many of our friends serve in the military or work
in government, so politics, Iraq or terrorism are often topics of conversation.
But so are issues such as whether my wife and I should tear down the wall between
our kitchen and dining room or which sport our boys will be playing this winter. Cheers!
Ben |
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