Q:

Q: How is President Obama doing so far?

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:06:05 +0000

Anthony Raad: "I think we were expecting a little more action. I find it surprising that it took him a couple of months to figure out a strategy in Afghanistan. It's important that a president acts in a more timely fashion. Every week we are losing lives and spending millions.

Americans are anxious and we don't need more anxiety in this economy.

I think Obama's actions in the economy were warranted and taken in good faith, but still unemployment is above 10 percent. I work at a bank. People who come to me at the bank are unemployed and I try to work with them to help them out, but the real problem is there are no jobs. We're pumping billions of dollars into the economy, but where are the jobs?"

Q: What is your hope for 2010?

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:29:55 +0000

Saul Schniderman: "I hope for four things: I hope for Carroll Avenue to be paved. I hope for new small businesses to start up in Takoma Park. I hope that real healthcare reform is passed. I hope that the US withdraws from Afghanistan."

Q: What is the path to peace?

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:21:11 +0000

[from left] Margot Bass: "Since I am a biologist, I think there has to be a balance between the hawk population and doves. If there are too many doves the hawks take over and if there are too many hawks there's over-agressiveness."

Jane Bass: "The only path is a vast reduction in the world's population, so there is not a constant competition for resources."

Q: What is YOUR favorite summer memory?

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:35:11 +0000

From left:

Bamba Jallow: "I'm a workaholic. I have no summer memories. Wait--scuba diving! One place I went to was Orlando. I saw coral reefs, lots of fish. It was nice."

Pierre Lubin: "Going to Six Flags."

Shahid Alam: "Mostly on vacations. Last year I went to Myrtle Beach. We had a place with an ocean view, where we could wake up and see the waves. We woke up before sunrise and collected seashells. I found a shell as big as my hand."

Q: What do YOU do for local summer fun?

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:44:56 +0000

Margaret Nguyen: "We like to go to the pool and come to the Farmers Market, and barbeque."

Chris Evans, with Phoenix: "I do the same. Phoenix likes to eat, and go to the pool."

Q: What is your heart's desire?

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:38:12 +0000

Caroline Hebel: "Return to the barter system. That would be interesting, mix things up."

Julia Alexandra Smith: "To fly!"

Ted Belland: "My heart's desire is to end up living somewhere there aren't any cars, or there's only one car in the village, and they call it a village. And there are no police reports, no doctor or lawyer fees."

Q: What does "hometown" mean to you?

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:20:05 +0000

Paul Crumrine: "I moved five times when I was a kid, but I have good memories of all of them. To me hometown means feeling comfortable walking down the street: familiar sights and landscapes, seeing familiar faces more than rarely. I'm from upstate New York. I've been here 35 years. The intimacy of small New England and mid-Atlantic towns like Takoma Park and downtown Silver Spring means hometown to me."

Q: What is your reaction to Obama's election? What's the key to solving our country's problems?

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:30:00 +0000

Keith Bond: "I'm surprised, because I grew up in the South and living in Utah, and it didn't seem possible from my past history that the country would elect a black president. I'm sure that there's some way to solve all the problems, but I just don't know what it is."

Q: What was your most memorable gift?

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:39:18 +0000

Berlin Borges (with Carlson): "I remember the first time I went to Disney World. My parents took my two sisters and me when I was seven years old. For me it was very impressive. We had seen Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and Pluto on TV but it was amazing to see them life size and touch them.

You say 'Wow.' It was like another planet. "

Q: What positive change do you see happening?

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:22:44 +0000

Bob Auerbach: "People are being more tolerant and more willing to get along with other people, less discrimination against blacks and other minorities. There's a little more interest in working people, and those are the ones who make the wheels go around. All the material goods we need are produced by working people. And it's nice to see better transportation and power -- electric, solar and wind."

Q: What does it mean to be an American?

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:45:44 +0000

Krist Novoselic: "What it means to be an American is to recognize the positive legacy of the US, and the principles of the country: equality, inclusion, fairness and democracy, and to put those principles first.

That ideal has always been expanding, including more people than when the US was founded. It's been growing and our generation can add to it and make it even better.

I was a punk rock dude [bassist for Nirvana]. I didn't know about democracy, but when Oregon passed an erotic music law against us, even though we were bringing cultural and economic vitality to the state, we became proactive. I recognized barriers to participation and wondered, how do we fix it? I went online and discovered Instant Runoff Voting and proportional voting. I recognized it as an exciting way to repair our democracy.

Having gone through a music revolution with Nirvana I can see the same thing can happen with our democracy, a nonviolent 'velvet' revolution."

Tim Willard: "America is diversity. America is freedom for everyone of every persuasion to live their life however they want, to exercise power over their government. The American ideal is inclusive, not exclusive."

Mary Rooker: "It means to stand up for the ideals that our country was founded on -- freedom and justice. And I think the green party exemplifies it."

Nathan Bahn: "It means you're obligated to respect the rights of minorities."

Jay Waldon: "One good thing is to be in a free society, where all citizens have access to freedom."

Deanna Stewart: "Having freedoms and rights. But the responsibility to not just take things for granted, but step up to the plate and do what's required of you. "

Joe Gillin: "Being open to the principles of life, liberty and opportunity."

Gemma D'Eustachio: "I guess it means having a lot more rights but also a lot more responsibilities. You have freedom of speech but then also when you say you're American or from America, there's a lot more expected of you. Using your freedom to help other people is a responsibility that comes with the rights."

Courtney Allen: "Sometimes it's kind of sad to be an American because of the things America does and the way it treats its people and people abroad. We portray ourselves as the greatest country but we don't treat people fairly as a country. I think we have an opportunity to get better."

Demet Cabbar: "I'm not an American unfortunately, but often I ask myself why I'm in this country. When I look at my friends who live in Turkey I don't think from a financial or social perspective I'm better off. But I like to live hear because of the freedom I get here to experience things and form opinions and express them. And I think being American means making your own choices and you live with the outcomes, but you have the choice."

Head Roc: "Honest answer? To me to be American is to be part of a forced amalgamation of many different peoples from all over the world, to be a part of principles and ideals that are not respecting of the rest of the world.

We are forced to go along with the ideology and practices of a minority of people who are in my view bent on supremacy and they force us to take part in actions that disenfranchise the peoples of the world who make up the labor force and defense force of America.

Most Americans don't know the powers that be don't have their interests in mind. Once we're aware of that we can transform America."

Matt Sullivan: "Of course you're an American just by living here, but to be a citizen you need to participate in our democratic republic. You've got to be informed and participate in our democracy."

Elaine Sullivan: "You have to question authority and demand accountability of our elected officials, defend the constitution because that's the basis of our laws."

Sara Collina: "For me, being an American the most important thing is not simply being tolerant of different viewpoints and different groups but being excited and enthusiastic about forming a community with them. On 9-11 my children were at Rolling Terrace Elementary School and when I saw the classroom I felt profoundly patriotic because of so much very real diversity in the school. It's exciting and it doesn't happen everywhere. It's American to have that much diversity and enthusiasm for it."