November 19th, 2008
Bryan Rahija’s (I’d say he was one of my favorite interns, but then again, almost every POGO intern is my favorite) band Bombadil will be jammin’ at Iota in Arlington on Saturday, November 22nd, at 9:30 p.m. Go check them out! (That’s Bryan on guitar in the lower-right corner.)
This year alone, his band has played over 150 shows in 31 states. Click below to watch a video of their trip out West.
– Keith Rutter
November 18th, 2008
I just heard from POGO Alum Greg Williams. It turns out that he is doing the work of the Devil by helping Microsoft become a phone company. In his spare time, he spies on U.S. Navy nuclear subs, having spotted what looked like an Ohio-class boat giving a DSRV a piggy-back ride. (Greg asserts this is impossible since the last DSRV was retired some time ago, but a local retired Ohio skipper couldn’t come up with a better explanation.)
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While he makes a living monkeying with computers, the mysteries of blogs have somehow escaped his understanding. Fortunately, when they’re not busy training for the space program, his beautiful family (pictured here) keep him up to date with what he needs to do.
– Keith Rutter
P.S. Our Legal Department is requiring me to say that Greg does not really spy on nuclear submarines. He was joking. If Mr. Williams actually spied on nuclear submarines, POGO would not approve. POGO does not endorse that kind of activity. In any way.
November 17th, 2008
“I am basically going back to my corporate roots.”
- Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), who is retiring after 14 years in Congress, announcing that he has accepted a job at Deloitte Consulting
November 14th, 2008
“Considering how taxpayers’ money around Washington isn’t respected, a day shouldn’t go by without having an inspector general checking on it.”
- Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA)
November 13th, 2008
One of our best looking POGO Alums is Todd “Steel on Steel” Bowers. (Check out the photo. He’s so handsome even Bono wants to have his picture taken with Toddy.) So it was no surprise to any of us at POGO that T-Bone would show up as the cover boy for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) in a recent article in the Washington Post. (In the print version there are three pictures of him. Plus, Bowers is on IAVA’s splash page too!). POGO has been a big fan of IAVA (we actually played a very small role in their inception), and we’re so psyched about this incredibly flattering Post piece.
Congrats to Mr. Bowers, Paul Rieckoff, Vanessa Williamson, and the rest of the IAVA gang. (Make sure you check out their new social networking website — it’s really cool.) Keep up the great work!
– Keith Rutter
P.S. Our Legal Department is requiring me to say that Bono in no way endorses POGO. He almost definitely doesn’t even know who POGO is. I’m sure he’d like POGO if he did. But, he doesn’t. So Bono definitely doesn’t endorse POGO. In any way.
November 12th, 2008
We just received the greatest letter from POGO Alum Steven Loucel. (I’d say Steve was my favorite POGO intern, but then again, almost every intern at POGO is my favorite.) Steve wrote to thank us for helping him get his first job out of college. Not only did we give him a reference, but Steve’s new boss was impressed with the work he did as an intern at POGO. His employer told him he liked his “watchdog-mentality.”
Steve recently made a contribution to POGO, and was kind enough to send us some gourmet coffee, but keeping in touch with this letter of appreciation is truly priceless.
– Keith Rutter
P.S. If anybody has a recent picture of Steve to post on the Watercooler, please send it our way!
October 31st, 2008
Scott Amey, POGO’s GC, got married to Kerry Fox (of the Baltimore Foxes) in an incredibly beautiful ceremony officiated by Scott’s former boss, the Honorable Judge James A. Kenney III. Family and friends were invited to a swanky country club near Delaware for the wedding vows and lunch. Kerry looked magnificent, as did her children Bryanna and Collin; Scott was so-so: he had to shave off his scruff, so no one recognized him.
The following day, over 120 people showed up at Scott & Kerry’s casa for a full day (and night for many, and next morning for at least one) of fun, food, festivities…and a moon bounce. BOING BOING!
Here are two snap shots, but please check back regularly as we’ll be posting a video and slide show in the near future. Congratulations Scott and Kerry!
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Legal notification — POGO is not liable for any POGO employee injuries suffered in the moon bounce or resulting from a splinter from the couple’s beautiful new deck.
October 24th, 2008
We wanted to share with you some good news from our friends at Tri-Valley CAREs in Livermore, California, because we usually report the countless obstacles the small watchdog has to overcome in its struggle against the Department of Energy behemoth–more than a decade of delay in removing bomb-grade plutonium and highly enriched uranium from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, failed security tests of the Lab’s security, and the installation of high-powered machine guns whose bullets can reach the homes and community centers across from the Lab.
Bonnie Raitt recently performed two shows in Northern California where she gave shout-outs to the tireless work of Tri-Valley CAREs, as well as free tickets to benefit the group’s fundraising efforts.
Cheers to Marylia Kelley and everyone at Tri-Valley CAREs, and you too Bonnie–keep up the good work!
– Ingrid Drake
October 15th, 2008
Elena Mazer Mandell, daughter of POGO Alum Lynn Eisenman Mandell and Lauren “Ren” Mandell, was born at 7:53 AM on Wednesday, September 3, 2008. She weighed 6 lbs 12 oz and measured 20 3/4 inches long at birth. Elena was named after her maternal great-grandfather Eugene Eisenman and her paternal great-grandmother Betty Mazer Guberman Leis. As you can see from the photo, Mom, Dad, and baby are great! I’ve held the kid and she’s even cuter in person than she is in this picture.
– Keith Rutter
October 2nd, 2008
Over the weekend, Pam, Erin, and I ventured to Portland, OR to witness POGO Alum “Rugged Individualist Nicole” Harkin (who’s now at GAO) get married to Brent Lattin. The rehearsal dinner was at Flying Pie Pizzeria, and besides fun pizza there was a great atmosphere to talk to many of Nicole and Brent’s friends. The Sunday wedding was on the rooftop of the Eco Trust building in downtown Portland and was pure Nicole, with a fun Wedding Zine (an extended program with fun stories about how they met and stuff), a reading in German, and cupcakes for dessert. Give me a call and I’ll tell you more.
