Last week's players who are still in town are calling for a game this Saturday, so get on out there and keep them company. (Lord knows you must be sick of your relatives' company by now.)

Also, there's been a call for a New Year's game. Let me know if you're up for either a New Year's Eve or New Year's Day game at our usual time.

By the way, West Virginia was lovely, but I say our next left-wing frisbee retreat ought to be here in Santa Fe. The air might be a little thin, but I can personally recommend a post-game hot tub with a view of the Sangre de Cristo mountains and under something like 8 billion stars. (Fabulous massage optional.)

You're going to need to stretch your legs before you cram yourself into the overcrowded winter vacation conveyance of your choice, and what better place than on the muddy, goose-dung-covered . . . oops, I mean, our green and pristine frisbee field? We've got plenty of players for Saturday -- including Joe "Giuseppe" McLaughlin in his frisbee debut -- don't miss it!

This could be our last game of the year. I've only got a couple of "yeses" for Dec. 28. I'll send out one more call for RSVPs next week.

Bonus items: Check out Lane's action shots of the snow game. (Yeah, we don't know what the hell Tac was doing out there in shorts, either.)

And Ralph Nader says we set an example for the nation (well, sort of): "Here in Washington, they play these pickup games over by the Washington Monument."

And the Plain Dealer welcomes criticism from the left: "Plus, it's refreshing to have somebody from the left telling us what to do."

(Courtesy of voracious media consumer David Glenn.)

See you Saturday!

It being the conspicuous consumption time of the year, I've been asked to forward to you all some information about where you can do squeaky-clean, union-made, sweatshop-free, fair-trade Christmas shopping. (Look, I'm sorry about the Christian hegemony thing, but Hanukkah came too darn early this year. Buy someone a nice birthday present instead.) Lots of info below about what and where to buy.

(Some union-made stuff is available at the AFL-CIO's own Union Shop, in the lobby of the AFL-CIO building. Union staff get a 10% discount on Dec. 11.)

And come on out on Saturday for some real winter frisbee! The snow probably won't last until then, but you never know -- maybe we'll even get to play Jeff's favorite game, "Spectacular Catch!"

Clothes & etc.:
No Sweat Apparel
UNITE!
http://www.sweatshops.org/buy/ladders.html
SweatX

Poster, tchotchkes, etc.: Northland Poster Collective

Books: Powell's (Note that if you use this page instead of www.powells.com, the union-represented workers will receive 10% of your purchase through a profit-sharing clause in their contract.)

Fair trade:
Fair Trade Federation
10,000 Villages

And where NOT to shop

We've got game! See you Saturday!

. . . for your RSVP. OK, I know that was a terrible opening line, but I just saw "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" and I'm in the mood to throw a spotlight on the fabulous, unsung Funk Brothers. (The Funk Brothers are great storytellers, and the movie's well worth it for any one of their tales, not to mention a killer rendition of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" by, of all people, Joan Osbourne.)

This week's game is on as usual, but we're doing a little early polling to see who'll be around for next week's Thanksgiving/Hanukkah game. Please RSVP if you know what your plans are. I'll nag you again about this next week.

(It gets dark fast these days. Come early!)

Last Saturday: Great weather? Check. Great turnout? Check. Disc? Um . . . .

Well, we got one eventually, and went on to have an excellent game, but, gosh, that little piece of plastic makes all the difference. Without it we're just a bunch of lefties milling about aimlessly (or is that redundant in these times?). Don't miss this Saturday's game and, say, if you have a disc lying around, maybe you could bring it?

(It gets dark fast these days. Come early!)

It could always be worse, right? I mean, we could have lost the House *and* the Senate *and* control over the federal judiciary *and* . . . oh, never mind.

Every time the Dems really get their ass kicked, there are those of us who think, Well maybe now they'll realize it's time to talk and act like Democrats; maybe now they'll recognize that, as a friend of mine says, when Democrats run as imitation Republicans, real Republicans get elected;* maybe this time they'll say: Damn right, there's a partisan tone in Washington, because the Republicans are wrong and we're right and we're going to repeal the tax cut and we're going to restore government services because the role of government is, as another friend of mine says, to do more than safeguard portfolios, and because massive inequality isn't an inevitable, if somewhat unfortunate, byproduct of overall prosperity -- it's a disgrace, and we can change it, and we will.

Hasn't happened yet, but maybe this time.

Weather's going to be beautiful on Saturday. Shake off your despair and come play!

*Granted, Truman said it first.

**Game time is 3 p.m.**During some of my more angst-ridden adolescent moments, I used to like to wander off alone and listen to Jim Croce. It made me feel soulful. Alas, as ol' Jim himself found out, you can't stop time. And -- this ends the soulful portion of today's message -- neither can you resist the agricultural imperative to return to standard time come October (all that morning darkness makes farmers cranky -- that's why we don't have daylight saving time year-round). So turn your frisbee clock back an hour and we'll see you at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Happy Halloween!

Special early announcement this week to pass on a Halloween costume party invitation from Pepper (who hasn't played in a while, but whom some of you might remember). It's going to be a great party--break out the face paint and be there! All the details in the e-mail.

Also, there's an anti-war march this Saturday from the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial to the White House. Things should be winding down by 4, but keep an eye out for street closings and give yourself some extra time to get to the field.

19 days and counting until the elections -- not much time left to help save us all from a Republican trifecta. There are lots of opportunities for phone banking, precinct walking, and get out the vote activities. Call your favorite candidate's campaign office to volunteer or come to the AFL-CIO on Tuesday and listen to Billy Bragg tell you to do it.

Tues., Oct. 22, 12:30 pm
Rally the Vote with Billy Bragg AFL-CIO Lobby, 815 16th St., N.W.

Rally to help elect politicians who will work for working families. Join us Oct. 22--get energized by Billy Bragg and sign up for precinct walks and phone banks to make sure working family voters know which side candidates are on.

And don't forget -- we're at the Washington Monument field until spring.

Alas, it's true, the Park Service has declared that winter is here. For folks who didn't play last week, we've officially moved to our winter field at the Washington Monument. (Directions and parking info.) And expect a time change soon--daylight saving (note for my fellow pedants: no "s" on saving) time ends Oct. 27.

It may seem a little early to be raising the specter of a Washington winter (you know, when the temperature dips all the way down into the 40's and accumulations of up to 3 inches(!) are possible), but the Park Service uses a different calendar than the rest of us do. Winter reseeding of our field may be imminent, though I'm still waiting for a call back from the Park Service about exactly when. We'll try to give you advance notice, but if you arrive to find our field fenced off, move on over to our winter field. (But don't be deterred by tape around the field; there was tape up last Saturday, which our brave players blithely ignored with no ill effects.)

So, assume we're still on at FDR, but the directions to our winter field (for newcomers and the forgetful) are in the e-mail just in case.

Logistics first: For those folks who are planning to play this Saturday, do bear in mind that 10 or 20 thousand people will be converging near the Washington Monument and around the World Bank building. Check the Post for street closings and avoid the Smithsonian Metro stop. Or else bring your frisbee down and join us on the barricades! More info:
Mobilization for Global Justice
50 Years Is Enough

And now to picks: For those who were at last Saturday's game and have been staying up nights pondering the definition of a pick, a pick in Ultimate is exactly what you think it would be: you're not allowed to get in the way of a defender guarding a receiver. Here are the Official Rules:

XVII. Positioning
K. Picks:1. No offensive player may move in such a manner to cause a defensive player guarding a receiver to be obstructed by another player. Obstruction may be the result of contact with, or the need to avoid, the offending player. To do so while the obstructed defensive player is within three meters of the receiver is a pick.2. In the event of a pick:

a) the obstructed player must immediately call "pick" loudly.b) Play stops and is restarted with a check, unless the continuation rule [XVI.G] applies.

c) The obstructed player is allowed to recover the relative position lost because of the pick.

Well, we've got our own guest star this week. He's neither has-been nor wannabe, but, under the right circumstances, he's been known to part with a little dignity . . . . See you on the field!

Also, we've got pre- and post-frisbee activities for you: NOW is sponsoring a demonstration at Wal-Mart on Saturday morning, and Lane sends word of a party at Joe's on Saturday night. Details on both in the e-mail.

D.C.'s own Labor Film Fest starts today! Now through Tuesday, check out labor classics like Silkwood and Salt of the Earth, new movies like Bartleby, The Navigators, and Time Out, and a host of documentaries. And don't miss "Border Incident," with Ricardo Montablan (Fantasy Island's Mr. Roark, as you must know) as an undercover Mexican agent out to save migrant workers from abuse and murder at the hands of ruthless ranchers.Info on the films and buying tickets.

And don't forget to slip a little frisbee in between
showings . . .

Happy New Year! Leshana tova! Have a gut yoar! And that most traditional of Rosh Hashanah greetings: May you play much frisbee in the new year.

Good news! We've officially got enough frisbee kids for a full next generation team: Lori had a healthy baby boy last night. Everyone's doing fine. Details, photos to come when they're available.

Also -- we need RSVPs for this Saturday's game, seeing as how it's Labor Day weekend and all. Please let me know by Thursday afternoon if you plan to play. I'll let you know if the game is on by Friday morning.

Feeling down with those it's-too-hot-to-think-and-the-world-is-going-to-hell-in-a-handbasket-anyway blues? Not me. I'm positively aglow with the pride of civic participation, on account of the city council candidates' forum I (joined by a couple of other frisbee'ers) went to last night. There was a complete cast of the requisite characters: candidates who were smart and articulate; candidates who couldn't legislate their way out of a paper bag but who brought some humor to the proceedings; candidates who were downright surly; an iron-fisted and occasionally befuddled moderator; and an overflow crowd of highly engaged and active citizens. There was drama aplenty over inconsistent enforcement of time limits and snubs real and perceived. But there was also lively debate, real information exchanged, and scores of neighbors talking to one another about housing, crime, education, and social services, with a passionate belief that we can and should take better care of one another. So get thee to a nearby mayoral, council, congressional, gubernatorial, or any other forum or debate you can find. It'll take your mind off the air quality index and possibly even make you feel a little better about the state of our democracy.

See you on the frisbee field, citizens.

Apparently, it's a bad summer to be a frisbee pioneer. Close on the heels of the loss of Wham-O co-founder "Spud" Melin comes the death of "Steady" Ed Headrick, who added the aerodynamic ridges that transformed the wobbly Pluto Platter into the smooth-flying disc we know today. I'm not sure how truly steady ol' "Steady" Ed was, though. At his request, his ashes will be molded into frisbees which will be given to family and friends. Um, yuck.

[Thanks to the many alert readers who sent news on Headrick's demise.]

Arthur "Spud" Melin, co-founder of Wham-O, which brought us the Frisbee, the Hula Hoop, and the Slip 'N [sic] Slide, died about a month ago. Let us pause to recognize his heroic contribution to the culture, not to mention to thank him for providing us with a social life. And let's thank our lucky stars that after its initial launch, the Pluto Platter's name was changed to Frisbee.

Don't forget Neil's going away party on Saturday night!

Neil's taking off for places unknown. Come wish him well *next* Saturday night. And Lynne's got an extra Springsteen ticket. Prove it all night, baby.

See you on the field!

Now that we're getting into summer thunderstorm season, it's worth a reminder on our weather policy: We play rain or shine, unless there's lightning (in which case we head over to Mackey's and swap stories about our uncle Floyd who was hit by lightning and after that could jump start a car just by grabbing hold of the battery).

See you Saturday!

There I was, not even 18 months old, and my folks had me propped up in front of the TV so I could say I'd seen the moon landing. Thing is, I so rarely have the opportunity to say so. Hey, guess what? Thirty-three years ago this Saturday, I saw the moon landing!

Surprise party for Keith's 30th on Saturday night! Details in the e-mail. Come work up a good thirst beforehand at the game.

Who's playing July 6th? RSVP by Wendesday a.m. and I'll let you know by noon if we've got a quorum or not.Also, Neil wants to revive our summer mid-week game. Let him know if you're interested.And here's your inspirational 4th o' July quote:

"It was as a socialist, and because I was a socialist, that I fell in love with America. In saying that I am not indulging in romantic nostalgia about youthful days on the road but rather underlining a crucial political truth. If the Left wants to change this country because it hates it, then the people will never listen to the Left and the people will be right. To be a socialist--to be a Marxist--is to make an act of faith, of love even, toward this land. It is to sense the seed beneath the snow; to see, beneath the veneer of corruption and meanness and the commercialization of human relationships, men and women capable of controlling their own destinies. To be a radical is, in the best and only decent sense of the word, patriotic."

-- Michael Harrington, Fragments of the Century

You may have learned about the tragedy of the commons in Econ 101. The classic illustration is a town green -- the commons -- open to all for grazing sheep. Since grazing is free, it's rational for each person to keep increasing the size of their herd -- more wool and more pecorino romano for me, with no obvious cost. Eventually, there are so many sheep that the pasture is overgrazed and of no use to anyone. In short, small or invisible costs to individuals for a particular behavior can lead to an ultimately anti-social result of enormous cost to everyone.

Your neoclassical econ prof probably claimed that the solution lay in private ownership to regulate use of the green -- in fact, why not have the town sell the naming rights to the Frito-Lay® Sheep Green and contract out management? Those who can't afford the new grazing fee can sell their herd to a more prosperous neighbor and take a job in the booming service sector -- perhaps as a minimum-wage groundskeeper and sheep-shit-sweeper-upper.

Um, fascinating, but what does this have to do with frisbee? Our own tragedy of the commons is our increasingly elastic start time. (Yeah, I'm stretching, but you try being clever *and* relevant week in and week out.) Lately, though we're getting good turnouts, we often don't have enough people to start playing until 4:30 or later, so more people keep coming even later. That's especially tough on the parents who've got babies on the sidelines who may not last two hours under the summer sun. So, when you can, please try to get there close to 4.

This has been a public service announcement from the Little Debbie Snack Cakes® Frisbee Central Planning Committee.

======================
Also, Brad's tattoo is famous!

While you're on the site, Brad implores you to check out the kilts page listed in the links section. I've got visions (chills?) of our first all-kilt game.

I'm down $36 at the craps table and tickets to the Charo show are scarce, but I'll always remember that I had a swingin' time. Viva Las Vegas!

Did you know that there are thousands of people who write to their reps in Congress every day asking for a flag that's been flown over the Capitol? In order to accomodate the requests, someone takes a big stack of flags to the roof, runs each one up the flagpole and back down, and then moves on to the next. People pay for the cost of the flag, plus an extra $4.05 to have it flown over the Capitol. This is a very odd country.

Despite the abrupt onset of Washington summer, we had a solid 7-on-7 turnout last week. If we can take it, so can you. Supersize that water bottle and get out on the field!

See you Saturday!

I know you've been eagerly awaiting my report on the state of frisbee in France. Well, turns out it's wildly popular there, particularly in Paris, where people are playing it pretty much everywhere you go. It's practically the national sport. Who knew?(Research note: For purposes of this report, "playing frisbee" is defined to include taking 2-hour lunches, lingering in cafes, and strolling by the Seine. Any actual running around and throwing of a piece of round plastic would be a little, how you say, silly, n'est pas?)

See you on the field!

Here's our weekly reminder - Saturday, FDR Memorial - 4 p.m.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And the latest new player announcement straight from new daddy, Iain:

Gold - No Rush

After nearly 42 weeks of pregnancy, 48 hours of pre-labor, and 27 hours of hard labor, Emma Olivia Gold was pulled from her mother kicking and screaming at 10:54 p.m. on Saturday, May 25th. To show her appreciation, the 8lb 11.7 oz, twenty-one inch, headstrong new born, peed on her host of over ten months (the nine month pregnancy is a fallacy).Mother and baby are doing well and will return home Wednesday, May 29th. Gold prices rose on the news.

In all seriousness, while the labor was difficult and sent us through many emotions, Stacy and Emma held up fantastically. Having a healthy, beautiful baby girl means the world to us and a healthy, beautiful wife means the world to me.

We should all wish Kris a hearty bon voyage as she sails off to the wine country in France. I don't feel witty enough to attempt a creative reminder in her absence. So here's the scoop:

Frisbee - FDR Memorial - Saturday 4 pm (I have no idea how to update the website, so we are email-only for a few weeks.)

Here are a few other announcements:

Megan's Going-Away Party
Friday May 17, 9pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ATTENTION ALL RUNNERS! Join Thousands of People From Across the Economic Spectrum for the FIRST EVER 1K RACE TO THE BOTTOM! Whether you're an MBA in the Rat Race or an underemployed activist with the Human Race, this Race to the Bottom is a can't-miss event for anyone trying to get ahead *or* left behind.

The 1K RACE TO THE BOTTOM starts with a rally at the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce (site of the regional World Economic Forum meeting) at **4 p.m. on TUESDAY, MAY 21**. The "Race to the Bottom" begins at 6 p.m. sharp and ends at the World Bank.

I'm off on a goodwill tour of France to spread the gospel of left-wing frisbee -- or possibly to slap some sense into anyone who voted for Le Pen. Please send any announcements, etc., to Jill until after Memorial Day. (Website updates will be on hiatus during that time -- a crushing disappointment to all, I know.)

This weekend: Jen's graduation party on Saturday and Lizzie's brunch and Green Party candidate fundraiser on Sunday. Come on by! Details in the e-mail.

I'll grant you that May Day was yesterday, but I still declare Saturday to be the May Day game. Need to brush up on your history of May Day and the Haymarket martyrs? Check out this site or this one and give thanks to those who helped bring us the 8-hour day.

And remember the great cry of the marchers: "Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, and eight hours for frisbee!" See you on the field.

And another eight hours for parties . . .

• Sun., May 5 - Lane's housewarming, 1-5 pm.
• Sat., May 11 - Jen's graduation party, 5-10 pm.

** GAME TIME IS 4 PM **

What with MPD Chief Ramsey cheerfully admitting to regularly infiltrating protest groups (with undercover cops carrying "Stop Police Brutality" signs -- ain't they clever?) and video cameras sprinkled liberally (as it were) throughout the city, it's enough to make a lefty think the vast right-wing conspiracy is back. Oh, wait, it never left.

Anyway, "Act up, fight back, play frisbee!"

Lots of announcements this week:

• Brad's fielding summer housing inquiries from interns. Anyone know of anything?
• Lynne's party has been rescheduled for May Day. Be there!
• On your way to Lynne's party, check out "Behind the Labels: Garment Workers on US Saipan," a film & discussion at the AFL-CIO, May 1st, 5-7 pm.
• Before frisbee, Jill, Keith, and all their neighbors are throwing the mother of all yard sales, this Saturday, 9 am - 4 pm.
• After frisbee, Jim Shultz, author of The Democracy Owners' Manual: A Practical Guide to Changing the World, reads at Politics & Prose at 6 pm.

See you Saturday!

We have a new temporary location - for this week only!

An unnamed park/patch-o-grass at 2nd and D Streets SE. It's two blocks from the Capitol South metro stop.

The field is nice and level. There are no facilities nearby so plan ahead. :-) Jim is very excited at the prospect of post-frisbee libations at the Banana Cafe (8th & E SE). Yum yum. I'm very excited that we can walk over with Audrey in her stroller. See you on Saturday.

===========================

What with many thousands of people demonstrating this Saturday (www.globalizethis.org/s30/ ) against the World Bank, the IMF, the School of the Americas, Colombian death squads, and the permanent war on immigrants -- oops, I mean terrorism -- we've got a host of logistical issues for this week:

1 - Can we get up a game at all or will folks still be washing pepper spray out of their eyes? Please RSVP if you plan to play.

2 - If yes on 1, getting to FDR is going to be tough. The various marches converge on the Mall at 3. Many streets will be closed for at least part of the day. Peirce Mill seems like the better choice for those who want to play. Agree?

3 - Traditionally, we move the game to 4 pm once Daylight Savings Time begins. A couple of people have asked to keep the game time at 3, but others are ready to switch. Declare yourself (even if you're not playing this week).

Several worthwhile events coming up to fill your lefty calendar:

• Tonight at Visions: "Promises," an amazing documentary about Israeli and Palestinian kids. This is the last night it's showing and it's great. See it! www.visionsdc.com
• Saturday, 6 pm at Politics & Prose: Nelson Lichtenstein reads from his new book, State of the Union: A Century of American Labor.
• Wednesday, 8 pm at G'town: Hitchens v. Ali on the Left and the war (details in the e-mail)
• And frisbee!

Like the swallows to Capistrano, like salmon to their spawning ground, like Godzilla to Tokyo, so, too, we must return. To hell with the cherry blossom worshippers--it's time to go back to our beloved FDR field. Directions for you winter newcomers.

Don't even THINK about driving this week. Bike, metro, or crawl if you have to, but don't try to bring a car downtown.

Before Nathan, before Audrey, before Mario. Back when George W. was just a nightmare on the horizon and half our current players were still making their way here via Chicago and Vegas. Way, way, back then, on April 1, 2000, our founding mothers and fathers played the very first Left-Wing Frisbee game, making possible all that has come since. And so we offer a grateful and humble tribute to those historic pioneers -- Lori, John, Jill, Ron Nelson (who never came back), and Angela Courtin (who moved away). I'll be out of town this week, but somebody ought to buy 'em a beer, for crying out loud.

Also -- if anyone has a chance to go by the FDR field next week, let me know if the fence is really down, as promised by the Park Service.

We're on for Saturday at 3 at Peirce Mill in Rock Creek Park. (Turns out it's spelled Peirce. Who knew?) We'll be on the field that's across Tilden St./Park Rd. from the mill itself. Map and directions.

Also--the Park Service says the fence at FDR is coming down the first week in April, so we may be able to play there starting April 6. We'll make sure it's down before making the official switch, though. Trust, but verify.

We can't seem to stop the rain (and lord knows we need it anyway), but don't let that keep you from the frisbee field. We had a great game last week in the on-again, off-again drizzle.

Lori, with a 7 lb., 10 oz. guess.

For Amy's sake, we're happy to report that the 9 lb. + guesses (mostly made by men, curiously enough) were quite high. Mario* came in at 7 lbs., 13 oz., and 22 inches long. Look for pix on the website in the next couple of days. Consider this your game reminder for the week. See you Saturday!

*Pending.

It's not enough that we've all been asked to witness the joy of two of our friends and frisbee comrades who are about to bring a new life into the world, that we will be part of the community that loves and supports this child as s/he grows, that we have the rare and precious opportunity to help pass on to a child the humane values that we share . . . no, it's not enough. What we want to know is: How can we make sport of this? Jim and Jill propose a betting pool on Baby Callderosner's birth weight.

Get your guesses in now! Amy's due date is Saturday. Price Is Right rules apply: closest without going over wins. In the event of identical guesses, the first one I receive wins. Guesses will be posted on the website. (And despite the subject line, no, you don't win the baby if you're right.)

So far:

• Cashen: 8 lbs. 1 oz
• McNeill: 9 lbs. 1 oz.
• Raab: 8 lbs. 6 oz.

Also new on the site: Father-to-be Dave breaks down our special set of rules, plus lots of new action shots!

Mackey's-goers, beware: Lynne's bike was stolen from outside of Mackey's last week.

How many people does it take to score on a full 7-member team? Turns out it's only 3 if they're John, Nick & Derosa. After our standard (and gigantic) game, John introduced us to "Reduction," frisbee's answer to "Stay Alive." (You remember that game--you pulled plastic slides out from the sides of the board and hoped that your marbles would stay put and your opponents' would disappear into the nether regions.) Come on out this week--maybe we'll ratchet the Reduction endgame down to one so someone can stand alone in the middle of the field and shout "I'm the sole survivor!"

Check out the new batch of game & spectator photos.

And don't miss Trish's swingin' party on Saturday.

Displaying the keen observation skills and shrewd analysis he usually reserves for tiny plastic armies and Republican electoral candidates, John has turned his penetrating gaze on . . . all of us. Check out his scouting reports in the brand-spanking-new leftwingfrisbee.org site and send your revisions, rebuttals, and embellishments. (Mugshots, long-winded treatises on the intersection of left political theory and frisbee strategy, diatribes on the environmental implications of cleats, and any other materials warmly welcomed.)

Also, Lane & John are planning a President's Day hike--time, place, etc. TBA. Contact Lane if you're interested.

And Trish's party that I mentioned last week -- it's *next* Saturday, the 23rd.

We hear there's something going on in Salt Lake City this weekend, but tear yourself away from the curling prelims and come on out. You want "higher, faster, stronger"? Just watch Manny and Plevan go head-to-head.

And, hey, Trish is having a party next Saturday. For those of you who were there last year, the same great band will play. Address, etc., in the e-mail.

Come to Mt. Ranier Saturday night at 7 to celebrate Dave & Amy's impending parenthood! Details and directions in the e-mail.

And come to the AFL-CIO next Wednesday night at 6 for a reception and exhibit of Ralph Fasanella paintings (and from what I hear, not the same 10 we've all seen a thousand times): http://www.aflcio.org/bannerads/art_fasanella.htm

Oh yeah, and come to the game! Please RSVP. Assume the game is on unless you hear otherwise by noon on Friday.

Frisbee Saturday. No clever theme, just frisbee.

But *next* Saturday, baby shower for Dave & Amy!

I was going to riff on "I Have a Dream" (you know, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day play in a frisbee game where they will not be judged by the distance of their throws but by the quickness of their cuts . . . "), but I found myself caught up in re-reading the speech. If you haven't read the whole thing in a while, treat yourself: http://www.stanford.edu/group/King

Also, Saturday night is Liz O.'s housewarming party!

If you weren't there last week you missed a big turnout and a great game. (And we're almost sure that John will walk again and Tris will hear again....) Don't miss out this Saturday--weather report says we won't have to prove our mettle in snow or rain, and that gloom of night thing is a cinch now that we've seen Dave's light-up frisbee.

So I promise not to make a fetish out of this whole "Today in History" thing, but Saturday's the anniversary of both the founding of the Abe Lincoln Brigade and the beginning of the Prague Spring. Admittedly, tossing a disk isn't quite the same as taking up arms against a dictator or repudiating Stalinism, but I'm sure it fits into the fight against fascism somehow....

Also, since *some* people seem to think it's kind of cold out, we're instituting the official Cold Weather RSVP Policy until further notice to make sure we've got enough players. (But trust us--it's perfect game weather, and it makes the Irish coffee at Mackey's taste that much better.) Assume the game is on unless you hear otherwise by noon on Friday.