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DC offers opportunity for eating acorns in Foggy Bottom – WTOP News

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DC offers opportunity for eating acorns in Foggy Bottom – WTOP News


At the exhibit, you can learn how to mash, refine, and cook acorns. You can also engage in a variety of activities like acorn shuffleboard and ink painting. The latter is the result of the murky water left over after cooking tannins out of the acorns—to make them safe for eating. The more you know!

WTOP’s Matt Kaufax reports on the D.C. ‘Acornucopia.’

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Turns out those pesky nuts falling from the sky onto you and your car, and littering the D.C. area ground in late fall, are more important to the planet than you might think.

A new exhibit at the Smith Hall of Art on the campus of George Washington University celebrates the most unlikely of foods: acorns.

“‘Acornucopia’ is a wonderland of earthly acorn delights!” exclaimed artist and educator Shawn Shafner.

Shafner, who is also a graduate student and published author, says the idea to not only look into how to make art using acorns, but also how to sustainably use and dispose of them, came to him a while ago.

‘Acornucopia’ is the fruit of his labor—and it tastes…oaky.

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“If you’ve seen me around campus, you’ve probably thought I was crazy, gathering all my acorns for this exhibit,” Shafner joked.

Shafner says ‘Acornucopia’ champions the acorn as an unvalued resource, both as a food source AND the genesis of new life in our ecosystem.

“It’s also a powerful instigator of forests,” he told WTOP.

To boot, Shafner says coming out to GW to see the work can support a good cause.

“We’ve partnered with Tomorrow’s Trees, an initiative of the Potomac Conservancy,” he explained. “Most of the native oak seeds you see here are donated to them.”

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Acornucopia also happens to be a ton of fun.

At the exhibit, you can learn how to mash, refine, and cook acorns. You can also engage in a variety of activities like acorn shuffleboard and ink painting. The latter is the result of the murky water left over after cooking tannins out of the acorns—to make them safe for eating. The more you know!

“If you can crack the code, and you’re willing to put in the time to do an awful lot of cracking, then you can know what otherwise the squirrel only knows,” Shafner mused.

‘Acornucopia’ runs Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Smith Hall of Art at GW until 1 p.m. But if you miss it, Shawn says his acorns will be back starting December 6, as part of another exhibit on GW’s campus called ‘(Up)Root(ed).’

(Up)Root(ed) is all about getting in touch with native and indigenous cultures, and will feature an exhibit on native plants—including oak trees.

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With 17 different kinds of oaks on GW’s campus, Shawn says he plans to collect more acorns, and have an acorn cookout on December 8.

You can find the invite to “(Up)Root(ed)” here.


Be on the lookout next week for an upcoming episode of WTOP’s ‘Matt About Town’ series too, where WTOP’s Matt Kaufax does his best morning talk show host impersonation—to cook and eat fresh acorns with Shawn!

‘Matt About Town’ airs every Tuesday and Thursday on WTOP, with video pieces on wtop.com.

If you’ve got an idea for a feature story Matt should cover, reach out via the WTOP “contact us” page to submit your idea.

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You can also contact Matt directly. His contact information is listed below. 

Check out more of “Matt About Town” on WTOP.



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Washington, D.C

US: Indian embassy organises yoga session in Washington DC ahead of International Day of Yoga – Times of India

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US: Indian embassy organises yoga session in Washington DC ahead of International Day of Yoga – Times of India


WASHINGTON: The Indian embassy in the US organised a yoga session in Washington, DC ahead of the 10th edition of the International Day of Yoga.
Numerous people participated in the yoga session on Thursday, organised at The Wharf in Washington, DC.
Sripriya Ranganathan, deputy ambassador at the Indian embassy in the US, said that India has brought yoga to the centre stage.
“The role that India has played in bringing this centre stage, taking it to the UN and making this a day in which we come together to recognize the power of yoga and to recognize how yoga can add value to our lives and how yoga is very contemporary,” she said.
Since 2015, the International Day of Yoga has been celebrated across the world annually on June 21, following its adoption by the United Nations in 2014.
Ranganathan further said that it goes back 5000–6000 years, however, it remains so current.
“It’s an ancient tradition. It’s a wellness tradition that goes back 5000, 6000 years, but it remains so current,” she said.
The deputy ambassador further stressed that the value of yoga has now far more appreciation, adding that it has become a part of every family, community and institution.
“There is far more of an appreciation of the value of yoga. It’s become really a part of every family, every community, every institution to start thinking about how yoga can bring value to their lives and to help the members of that community and their families in dealing with the challenges that we face in the world today,” she told ANI.
Ranganathan added that now, even young people and students are also very involved in this and look at yoga as a wholesome and holistic tradition.
“I see wherever I go in the US that young people, students, particularly kids in college…are very involved in this. Initially, they come in terms of seeing this as a physical fitness tradition. But I think they move on very quickly to see what a wholesome and holistic tradition,” she said.
The deputy ambassador further said that this time, they have tied up and partnered with many organizations in the US and have made this almost a month-long celebration.
“We just tied up and partnered with so many organizations around the country. This is what we are doing in DC. What our consolation is, are doing all around the country. We have really been able to reach out so much more and make this almost a month-long celebration. It’s not just the day, but it’s the entire month in which we are bringing yoga centre stage in terms of our outreach to the community,” she said.
One of the participants at the yoga session, Michael, shared his excitement to celebrate the 10th International Day of Yoga and said that it is a great celebration of community and culture.
“I think yoga really signifies bringing your body and mind at peace with the world around you. And as we heard earlier today, I think that that is something that is most needed today. So again, happy to be here to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Yoga and hopefully, we can use this as a way to bring about more peace and harmony between us,” Michael said.
This year’s theme, “Yoga for Self and Society,” highlights the dual role of yoga in fostering individual and societal well-being.





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Washington, D.C

East Texas lawmaker travels to Washington D.C. to learn about hostile foreign threats

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East Texas lawmaker travels to Washington D.C. to learn about hostile foreign threats


TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – State Rep. Cole Hefner (R-Mount Pleasant) is back in East Texas after traveling to Washington D.C. to meet with experts on hostile foreign threats. Hefner said the meetings were organized by U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-Tyler.)

“We hear everybody talk about the adversarial foreign countries or foreign agents owning our agricultural land,” Hefner said. “And that’s a big deal and an important issue, but it’s much bigger than that.”

Hefner is the chair of a new Texas House committee focused on securing Texas from hostile foreign threats. The House Select Committee on Securing Texas from Hostile Foreign Organizations will assess the threat posed to the state’s economy and security by “hostile foreign organizations,” with a focus on protecting the real and intellectual property rights of Texans.

“We don’t want to do something that just sounds good and grabs the headlines,” Hefner said. “We want to do stuff that actually has an effect and actually accomplishes what we’re after here.”

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Hefner admits there is a fine line to toe when it comes to protecting the state while also respecting and protecting individual and business rights. A point echoed by committee member State Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine.)

“There’s a lot of good people in this country who might unintentionally fall under some category and prevent them from buying real estate,” Harris said. “And I think we need to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”

In the March primary election, an overwhelming majority of Republican voters said Texas should ban the sale of land to citizens, governments, and entities from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.

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+ East Texas lawmakers tasked with assessing foreign threats

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Washington, D.C

13-year-old charged with carjacking in DC

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13-year-old charged with carjacking in DC


A 13-year-old boy has been charged with an unarmed carjacking in D.C.

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According to the Metropolitan Police Department, two suspects approached the victim in the 900 block of Rhode Island Avenue, Northeast on Tuesday, June 18, at 6:16 p.m. Police say the suspects demanded that the victim exit his vehicle. The victim complied, and the two suspects took the victim’s vehicle keys. The suspects then fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle.

Shortly after, officers located the stolen vehicle in the 1700 block of First Street, Northwest. Officers observed one of the suspects exiting the vehicle and placed the suspect under arrest. The second suspect fled the scene on foot.



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