During his four years at the helm, the National Archives has seen an increase in its annual budget, from $319 million in 2005 to $411 million in 2008.
Expenditures partly went to the deployment of two electronic archives, including the EOP (Executive Office of the President) system launched just two weeks ago, enabling the transfer and storage of unprecedented volumes of presidential records.
Also during Mr. Weinstein's tenure, the once-private Richard M. Nixon library was incorporated into the National Archives' system of presidential libraries. (Speaking of which, Archives is in the process of moving Mr. Bush's materials to Texas, where they will displayed for future generations.)
CHRISTMAS PUPPY
Twentieth-Century Fox Films and the American Humane Association on Wednesday night held a Washington screening of "Marley & Me" (the former being a yellow Labrador retriever puppy with a big red Christmas bow around his neck), and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
Based on the book written by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist John Grogan, the movie, which opens Dec. 25 and stars Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, follows the scribe and his wife, Jenny, as their "sweet, affectionate puppy" grows into a "naughty, hyperactive dog" that gets kicked out of obedience school and swallows an 18-karat solid gold necklace, recalled Publishers Weekly.
Marley became so incorrigible that Mrs. Grogan ordered him expelled from the home. Fortunately, she relented, although thousands of so-called Christmas puppies in this country don't have such happy endings.