 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
by Olin Thomas February 2007 It is not often that Affirmation's Conference takes place on the East Coast: in fact, this is just the second time in almost 30 years! So naturally the Washington, DC Chapter is eager to provide an incredible experience. The conference will focus on forming more perfect unions — between two people, as in a marriage, between a person and their government, as in civil rights, and between a person and the God of their understanding. In the coming months, we will announce the presenters who will discuss these topics. However, Washington, DC also happens to be one of the major tourist attractions in the entire world. We encourage you to make your trip to Washington entertaining as well as educational and uplifting. The conference committee will have numerous optional tours to offer you as well as many suggestions for touring on your own. Following are just a few suggestions to illustrate the incredible things you can do in D.C. The International Spy Museum is the only public museum in the world solely dedicated to the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of espionage. The Museum's permanent exhibition presents the tradecraft of espionage through the stories of individuals and their missions, tools and techniques. Exhibits feature the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display — many for the first time. These artifacts, combined with historic photographs, state-of-the-art audio visual programs, computer interactive displays and special effects, reveal the strategies and techniques of the men and women behind some of the most secret espionage missions in world history! The historic buildings that comprise the International Spy Museum were constructed between 1875 and 1892. For more than a hundred years they housed thousands of tenants, from the American Communist Party offices during World War II, to artists' studios and wig shops more recently. The area thrived for decades, but its decline came quickly as the District's commercial core moved north and west. An unmentioned part of that decline is the fact that what is now the first floor of the museum used to be the site of some of the most notorious and sleazy adult entertainment establishments in Washington. A magnificent restoration effort has returned these distinctive structures to their original grand appearance, and a most appropriate location for the International Spy Museum. Come relive the days when the communists were public enemy number one, not the queers! Just south of Washington, DC lies the former estate of the man more responsible for the formation and success of our nation than any other single person. Recently a new $110 million orientation and education center has been completed at Mount Vernon. By exploring 25 galleries and theaters, visitors will learn about Washington's exceptional life and accomplishments through interactive displays, a major movie, short films produced by The History Channel, and high-tech, immersive experiences. Three life-size models created by a forensic anthropologist and a team of interdisciplinary experts will depict Washington as never before seen at three significant stages of his life — including as a land surveying teenager — which will dispel the elder statesman icon and encourage people to think about Washington in a new way: an incomparable American hero who evolved from a young man of modest means into this country's first and greatest president. A rich and comprehensive collection of objects will introduce Washington's world in a new state-of-the-art museum. Visitors will get an unprecedented look at furnishings, china, silver, clothing, jewelry, Revolutionary War artifacts, rare books and manuscripts, and other personal effects of the Washington family. Many of these treasures will be exhibited at Mount Vernon for the first time in the new museum. The conference planning committee is considering an optional after conference trip to Mt. Vernon on the Sunday after the Conference, by boat or by bus. So bring your best powdered wig and knee breeches and learn more the beginning of the American experiment with freedom and unalienable rights — a revolution which continues to this day in many forms, including the battle for GLBTI civil rights. |
www.affirmation.org