Life, Liberty, and please pass the Turkey

In 1943, one of the most popular magazines in America published a series of four paintings by Norman Rockwell entitled "The Four Freedoms." The four paintings were inspired by a speech given by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941 declaring that all people of the world should have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and fredom from fear. The painting entitled "Freedom from Want" has become a symbol for our American holiday Thanksgiving.

I hope you and your families had a warm and memorable day of thanks.

As promised, this blog will contain a few photos I took on a trip to Washington, DC over the Veteran's Day Weekend.





The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

November 2007 was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the War Memorial so there were extra large crowds to commemorate the event. Just as the war was controversial, so was the initial design of the wall. Maya Ying Lin, the 21 year old designer of the Wall, wanted a memorial that allowed "everyone to respond and remember." Under pressure from Veterans' groups, two additional memorials were added to the site: a statue commemorating the ground troops and a statue to commemorate the unique contributions women made to the war.

On my last day in DC, I stopped by Union Station, home of Amtrak and numerous shops. I couldn't leave without taking a photo of a store that caters to those of us interested in American history memoribilia.

Thank you

A thank you to all of the students and parents who came by on Tuesday during a conference time. It is always enjoyable to have the opportunity to speak about your progress and plans for the rest of the year.

No homework this holiday but I hope you are keeping up with the current events.

A special thank you to all of you who contributed to the MHS Leo Club can drive. You are making a difference with your efforts to help people who need our support.