Corteo

For the last six weeks, the Cirque du Soleil has set up camp in Atlanta. Their signature blue and yellow grand chapiteau circus tent was built right next to Atlantic Station in midtown.

The show on display was Corteo. It has been touring for two years in North America, and will continue traveling around the world for the next eight years. It's unbelievable how big the Cirque du Soleil has grown. They now have six traveling circuses in America, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia. In addition there are seven permanent circuses: one in Orlando, one in New York and five in Las Vegas. Especially the ones in Las Vegas experiment with different approaches. "Help" is a Beatles-themed circus with re-mastered Dolby 5:1 tunes from the Beatles. Zumanity is an adult-only erotic circus.

In contrast, in Corteo the Cirque is going back to their roots. It is an Italian commedia dell'Arte inspired circus. We all enjoyed the show, the music and the artists.

State of the Union

Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of Congress, distinguished citizens and fellow citizens: Every year, by law and by custom, we meet here to consider the state of the union. This year, we gather in this chamber deeply aware of the aging of this administration. It is for this reason, I asked Gregory to lend me his presidential portait made in 2005. It will remind us of the fountains of youth, forever renewing the strength of our country.

May Greg continue to bless the United States of America.

Trader Joe's

The buzz started months before the opening of the first store in Atlanta. Trader Joe's is coming to town. There was a lot of guessing which locations would be picked. It turned out the first store opened not far from where we live.

Trade Joe's is a different kind of grocery store. It is an organic discount store, an alternative Aldi. That's not just a coincidence: Aldi actually owns Trader Joe's. Nearly everything is private label, but unlike Aldi's most Trader Joe's products are organic. The stores are designed in a funky Hawaiian style, price tags are handwritten and feature product information and little drawings. This is all done by local artists.

Trader Joe's has a cult following, unlike any other grocery stores. There are even independent blogs dedicated to Trader Joe's. But Trader Joe's is most famous for Two Buck Chuck: its $2 bottles of wine.