Happy Graduation, Grads: Here's a List of Commencement Speakers

Congrats to grads, whether you are graduating from the University of Maine or the University of Hawaii. We don't have commencement speakers from those two schools, but here is a list of 15 other speakers who addressed graduates over the last three weekends.


1) Lesli Baskerville (pictured top). North Carolina Central U. Durham, NC

2) Dom Amendum. UNC-Greensboro. Greensboro, NC

3) John Kerry. Yale University. New Haven, Conn.

4) Sheryl Sandberg. Harvard University. Cambridge (Boston), Mass.

5) P. Diddy Combs (pictured middle) Howard University. Washington, DC.

6) Connie Willis. Univ. Northern Colorado. Greeley, Colo.

7) Eric Stough. Animator ("South Park.") Colorado U. Boulder, Colo.

8) Christopher Patten. Notre Dame. South Bend, Ind.

9) Colin Powell (pict. bottom) High Point University. High Point, NC.

10) Cece Stewart. Winthrop University. Rock Hill, SC.

11) Bill and Melinda Gates. Stanford University. Palo Alto, Calif.

12) Marc Bennioff. Univ. of Southern California. Los Angeles, Calif.

13) Al Gore. Princeton University. Princeton, NJ.

14) Adm. William H. McRaven. Univ. of Texas. Austin, Tex.

15) Alex Smith, quarterback of Kansas City Chiefs. Univ. of Utah. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Quote of the Day/Week- Jean-Michel Basquiat

As we continue to quote famous artists this month, we turn our attention to someone who died all too young from AIDS at the age of 27. But, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) left behind an amazing legacy. He made this painting "Untitled" (Head) in 1981.

He was a protege of Andy Warhol who died just a year earlier in 1987, also from AIDS complications.

Basquiat was the subject of the film "Basquiat" (1996), which was interestingly enough directed by someone who knew him in real life, fellow artist Julian Schnabel. A very young Jeffrey Wright, who would end up portraying Secretary of State Colin Powell in Oliver Stone's film "W" many years later, plays the artist in the film which also features David Bowie playing Warhol.

Here is the quote from Basquiat:

"I don't think about art when I'm working, I try to think about life."

Remembering the Newspaper-Restaurant Review

Yesterday while I was watching "Face the Nation," I witnessed former (vice) president Dick Cheney, who always reminds me why I am a Democrat (Nancy Pelosi looks so good by comparison!), taking a dig at Colin Powell.

Perhaps, the two need to have lunch at Siroc, a new establishment on 15th Street in Washington, DC, that was profiled in "The Washington Post Magazine" on May 3, so they can patch their differences.....that is, if anyone can patch their differences with Cheney.

Reviewer Tom Sietsema said Siroc is a place in which upon reading the menu one can sense that there is a chef in the kitchen who wants 'lure you in with familiar food even as he slips in a few surprises.'

That chef is Martin Lackovic, who co-owns the restaurant, and his specialties include octopus salami and handmade pasta. There is also the rabbit sausage dish, which might equally offend both Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig.

Sietsema said he was impressed that Siroc offered many dishes under $25 and a pleasant atmosphere. He said that he was also intrigued to see the place busy on a Monday night.

Siroc is a no-smoking establishment, and they offer valet parking on Fridays and Saturdays. Hmmmmm........I'm not sure many restaurants in Danville, Va., offer octopus salami.

Nominations for Person of the Year

"Time" magazine has just named Barack Obama as its Person of the Year.

For all intensive purposes, it is a choice I agree with, but it is our unwritten policy to choose someone else besides the person who Time selects.

Last year, I chose poet Nikki Giovanni for her inspirational fortitude during the Virginia Tech tragedy.

This year, our three choices are Congressman-elect Tom Perriello of Virginia who upset the incumbent Virgil Goode, one of the most notorious members of Congress, Bill Maher who always stands up to the hypocritical religious right and Colin Powell who stood up to the right wing of the Republican Party.

Your input will help me decide!

UPDATE 12/18: Perriello is now officially the congressional rep for the fifth district of Virginia! He won by less than 730 votes, so hence there is truth to the cliche about how every vote matters.