Thursday, 16 January 2014

The Nation's Capitol

The following insights about Washington are not my own. But when I read them, I did that sort of nodding head type of movement and I may have even audibly said, wow, ok, that's interesting. Even though I am home alone. Although I will just clarify a couple of things which I had to look up. Now I'm not in any way implying that you don't know what these things are, I am just humbly stating for the record that I didn't know what an Arlington Lady was, nor did I know what a POTUS was and  have to tell you, I had really gone down the wrong track on that one...and also, for those countries other than Liberia, Myanmar and the US, 39 inches is 99 centimetres. In the modern world. Where we have The Metric System. Just saying...

Anyway.

The Arlington Ladies came about in 1948 when Chief of Staff of the United States Airforce Hoyt Vandenberg and his wife, Gladys were on one of their walks through the cemetery (??!!) and saw young service members being buried without any of their family members present. The lack of anyone honouring these young men prompted Gladys to form a group of members of the Officers' Wives Club to attend all Air Force Funerals. Arlington ladies must be wives or widows of men in the Army, Airforce or Navy.

And a POTUS...not that hard really....a President Of The United States. Why didn't I get that? 

1. Working on the Hill
In Washington DC there is 1 lawyer for every 19 residents in DC and 74 lobbyists for each United States Senator.

2. Work Hard, Play Hard
More wine is consumed per person in Washington DC than any state in the United States.

3. Honoring the Fallen
Every time a soldier is buried, an Arlington Lady is present. There are about 65 Arlington Ladies, and since 1973, the Arlington Ladies have ensured that no Soldier is ever buried alone.

4. A Library of Epic Proportions
The Library of Congress, the biggest library in the country, contains 535 miles of bookshelves. In the Reading Room alone there are 45,000 reference books.

5. Mickey Mouse For President
Washington DC’s song was written by a former Mousketeer in 1951.

6. Rainy Days
DC averages 39 inches of rainfall a year — more than Seattle!

7. Presidential Pets
Thomas Jefferson had a pet mockingbird that flew freely around the White House unless Jefferson had guests.

8. Schooling the POTUS
Eight U.S. presidents did not attend college.




 



















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