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The Q&A Cafe 15th Anniversary w/ Maureen Dowd

Very happy to announce that The Q&A Cafe's 15th anniversary will be celebrated on Thursday, Nov. 10, with guest Maureen Dowd, the New York Times columnist, Pulitzer Prize winner, author of the new book, "The Year of Living Dangerously," and also a Georgetowner, which is appropriate for this occasion since The Q&A Cafe was created and has thrived in Gtown. Please join us at noon.

Make your reservation today with The George Town Club at 202-333-9330. Or send email to reservations.  Note:  while at a private club, The Q&A Cafe is fully and proudly open to all. Be there.

More later ... about how we got started in 2001, paying homage to 9/11, and created the only talk show in a bar, and now 15 years later with more than 375 notable interviews. Whoa. It's true.

 

Pneumonia!

When my husband was diagnosed with pneumonia my first reaction, because he could walk and talk, was, "oh, people survive pneumonia all the time, that's why its called 'walking pneumonia.'" The doctors quickly schooled me on the facts. Pneumonia comes in many forms, and much depends on when it is diagnosed and how it is treated. In every form it is a serious, potentially fatal illness. To call it "walking pneumonia" is to be dismissive of its seriousness. If not taken seriously, and treated, it can suddenly take a deadly turn.

That's what happened to Howard. He thought he had a bad cold, tried self-medicating, took the course of trying to "power through." By the time he finally got to a hospital, and got the antibiotics he needed, it was too late, and after three weeks on life support, he died at age 57.  His pneumonia was streptococcal, bacterial, with symptoms that included fever, cough, aches and pains. That's why he thought it was a bad cold or flu.  A chest x-ray showed one lung was compromised and the other lung was on its way. The doctors said a similar case happened to Jim Henson,  the creator of the Muppets, who had many of the same symptoms as Howard, reportedly put off treatment, took a turn for the worse and died suddenly at age 53. 

In our modern age with advanced medicine, pneumonia caught early is treatable, and many people survive. Pneumonia that is ignored is still a killer.

September 11 - 15th Anniversary

Who can believe it has been 15 years? Feels like 5, feels like 100, but here we are - alive, relatively at peace, and moving on. Its because of that celebration of life, and the way we have moved on in the aftermath of so much horrific loss that I believe this date should be a national holiday. A day where we take stock of what lost and make the most of what we have. But until then, I have my own traditions.

*First and foremost, in a personal regard, and trying to make a contribution, is that out of the ashes of 9.11, and the dismay and confusion of my neighbors, we   created The Q&A Cafe, which in its first couple of years was largely devoted to interviews that pertained to 9.11 - how it happened, why it happened, how we reacted, how to cope, and delving into the personalities of the individuals involved. This ranged from guests who were terrorism experts, to a person who had met Usama bin Laden, an expert on Saddam Hussein, White House and military officials who were architects of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the Saudi ambassador, the 9.11 Victims Fund special master, and healers. 

*When 9.11 happened my son was in 4th grade and still recovering from the recent death of his father. I used that experience to show him how (sadly) he was not alone, and that we should use our own grief to feel compassion for all the other children and families who had lost loved ones. They needed us in their moment of immediate crisis and our thoughts should be with them. 

*Each year, on this day, I try to have a splendid meal and make it about the people who lost that right -- the people who ran to their deaths or tried to run from their deaths. A meal of pleasure, including a martini and a toast, and with loved ones; the comfort those who died were denied. 

*I formed a library of 9.11 books and each anniversary I pull down the New York Times compendium of the victims and randomly go through the pages, reading about the individuals.

*I used to watch the TV specials but don't do that very much anymore. I have visited Ground Zero, more than once, and the Pentagon.

*My disapproval of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has not abated. They were and are pointless and heartbreaking. I am proud of every soldier who has gone over there to fight, and grieve for those who gave their lives. As well as so many civilian deaths. #nevershouldhavehappened

Now on YouTube: Johnny Holliday at The Q&A Cafe

Here's Johnny Holliday with me in the studio just before we taped The Q&A Cafe a few weeks ago at DC Cable in Brookland. It was an interesting hour that covered everything from contemporary Nationals baseball -- Johnny's the pre and post game announcer -- and his favorite players, and why -- to memories of his start as a DJ at a very young age and the opportunity to work with and hang out with the icons 70s and 80 rock n' roll. His career has been long and diverse and more to come. Here's the full show.