Merry Xmas, from JFK's Grandfather

There was Once a Major Canal Along the National Mall

An 1862 map shows that the Washington City Canal ran along the north side of the mall, on what is today Constitution Avenue, toward the site of the Capitol Reflecting Pool (the Mall itself was much smaller, ending at the site of the Washington Monument):

This is a view from the Capitol Building looking West, you can see the Smithsonian Castle at center-right and Maryland Avenue SW at the left:

It existed from 1815 to 1871, when it was filled in. Here's another, illustrated, depiction:

The Sci-Fi Version of the "Moon Bill" in Congress

As seen on Hardball:

On Monday, two house democrats introduced bill HR 2617, otherwise known as "The Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act", which is intended to establish a national park on the moon. The so-called "Moon Bill" has little chance of being enacted, but it's received a lot of attention and some mockery in the press over the last several days. It may not be a great leap, or even a small step, toward colonizing the moon, or creating a secret "death star" in space, it has delighted some sci-fi fans none-the-less.

As kuck would have it, on Wednesday, President Obama awarded George Lucas the National Medal of Arts and Humanities. While he didn't mention any future "lunar ambitions" in his speech, he did diverge from his prepared remarks to reflect on the legacy of "Star Wars": "I remember when I first saw Star Wars. There is a whole generation who think special effects always looked like they do today. But it used to be your see that string on the little model spaceships."

Much like the "Moon Bill" in congress, Lucas's original idea for "Star Wars" was met with skepticism at first, but he got it done with a mix of good storytelling and innovative special effects. Maybe the "Moon Bill" supporters should take those lessons and "repackage" their bill in a format more familiar to Star Wars fans in Congress. Here's what that might look like, enhanced with some "special effects" -- as seen on Thursday's "Hardball" on MSNBC:

Vintage Crossfire Stills

CNN is rebooting it's classic political debate show, Crossfire, which aired from 1982 to it's cancellation in 2005. Here's a look back at some vintage stills, all from Youtube:

1. Promo stills featuring Dick Gephardt and Newt Gingrich, who happens to be one of the four new hosts who will reboot the show.

2. The old set and logo:

3. Former President Nixon in 1984:

4. A young Rush Limbaugh:

5. The old title sequence:

6. A young Congressman, Joe Scarborough:

7. A very old logo:

8. Former 1984 VP candidate, the late Geraldine Ferraro: