now I should feel safe?

Following tight on the heels of yesterday’s “Special Police” I noticed that we now have yet another redundant Sheriff in town: Federal Protective Service Police from Homeland (in)Security.

Now I’ve lost count. Does that mean we have one or two dozen different police forces in DC? Let’s see if we can name them all, shall we:

• DC Police
• Capitol Police
• Federal Marshals
• Secret Service
• Park Service Police
• GW Police
• Georgetown Police
• American Police
• Gallaudet Police
• Catholic Police
• Homeland Security Police
• “Special Police”
• ???

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Last night’s game at Shea was one of the strangest thing I’ve heard on the radio in quite some time. It’s not that Pedro Martinez hit batters, that’s to be expected from a power pitcher late in his career and fighting off an injury. Pitchers like that want to make you afraid, make you back down and guess, then overthink and strike out.

Hitting the same guy, twice, though, is going to cause some problems, and so when Jose Guillen got pegged in the elbow for the second time in the game, he walked out to the mound, still carrying his bat. There was hope, albeit brief hope, that he might pull a Juan Marichal and use the bat on his opponent.

The best revenge, though, was Nick Johnson going yard for a three run homer just a moment thereafter. It wasn’t enough, though, as the Nats lost 10-5.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

cherry blossom congestion

If you think you can see the cherry blossoms late, that tourist traffic drops after dark, you would be wrong.

There is a full on bus jam around the monuments these days that makes just driving down Independence a bus and tourist dodging challenge.

My vote: skip the Tidal Basin and head to the Arboretum.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

sonic_no

Today, after work and before yoga, I did a little work at Panera Bread in Ballston. Done with the day labour, and wanting to check what’s up with the world, I typed in http://dc.metblogs.com expecting to find the latest in DC gossip. Instead, I got the notice at right, which says:

The SonicWALL Content Filter Has Blocked this site. If you feel this site has been blocked in error, Please submit a URL Rating Review at: http://cfssupport.sonicwall.com
URL: http://dc.metblogs.com/
Reason for restriction: Forbidden Category

Forbidden Category, eh? I wonder which one that is? Snide Commenatry? Jaded Lifestyles? Or maybe Reality Check?

What’s your take?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Only in Washington can you go get your hair done and overhear such tidbits like, “I knew him socially – I suppose his life is ruined now” or “why didn’t he just get a trophy twentysomething to dress up like a teenager?” Yes, everyone was abuzz over the latest scandal. I felt like I was in a 1930’s ‘women’s picture’ where the manicurists gleefully dispense the latest gossip as cattily as possible. Except this gossip was tinged with political savvy. Well, I was on K Street after all…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs Continue reading →

“Um, can you go outside with that?” the bartender sheepishly asked as my husband lit up.

We were lounging about in the convivial Science Club, one of my new favorite bars. Or is it a restaurant? That’s the question of the hour – for this legal delineation now controls the thought uppermost in the minds of DC smokers – where can I go?

Though we may think everyone is clued into the ban, apparently not. The owner found out about it on the news the day the ban began. There was some confusion over who exactly is covered under this first phase – the consensus of the happy hour crew was that it depended on whether you had a restaurant license or a bar license. This isn’t immediately apparent to patrons, as some establishments you think are bars that serve food have a restaurant license, while others have a bar license. Think for a moment about your favorite watering holes and see if you can categorize them correctly – sometimes the type of license depends on the zoning. For example, Science Club has a full food menu, a vibrant bar scene, and a restaurant license. Big Hunt also has a full food menu, a vibrant bar scene, and a bar license. Ah well, it won’t matter much by January 2007.

“An era is ending,” the barflies sadly toasted. Despite this wistfulness, all agreed that it would certainly help them quit.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Washington is often thought of as a town of smoke-filled rooms, with leather upholstery, high-backed chairs, and good scotch served in crystal decanters. More often than not, though, most of us that live here never see that side of things. Tonight I was invited to join some friends for an exclusive game of poker with Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson at the University Club on 16th Street. I was in for a glimpse into those smoky rooms for the first time since I moved here in 2000.

Why are luminaries from the poker world in Washington? There’s a bill in committee over in Congress called HR 4777 that would heavily restrict and potentially criminalize online gaming in its current form. That clearly concerns the Poker Players’ Alliance and so they came to Washington with some of their best ambassadors, the aforementioned Lederer and Ferguson as well as 2005 World Champion Greg Raymer. They gave testimony before Congress, met with influential politicians and lobbyists, and played some cards with soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Hospital.

Tonight, though, it was all about local bloggers and poker players. I arrived at the posh University Club just before eight and I was ushered into the billiard room on the second floor, with beautiful lush carpeting, a nice spread of food and a server running drinks from the bar. I ordered a Sapphire and Tonic and watched as Radley Balko from The Agitator recorded a podcast with Lederer and Ferguson. Before I knew what hit me, I was sitting at a table playing Texas Hold’Em with Howard Lederer and seven other players including the fabulous Julian Sanchez and my good friend Ben Stanfield.

Howard spoke very candidly about playing poker, about life as a professional poker player, about watching his Red Sox win the World Series in 2004, about pretty much every and anything. He was incredibly relaxed, and really enjoyed talking with all of us. I only got into one hand with Howard, but I came out on top, with a set of queens to his top and bottom pair. Afterwards, we talked a bit about how he liked Washington (He does, though he’d like to have seen more of it than he did on this trip) and about what he makes of the Department of Justice and the move toward banning online gaming (He’s against it, for reasons of civil liberties, anti-government-interference and DOJ overstepping their mandate), and a ton of other things. He even took a Metroblogging DC t-shirt and wore it on his shoulder most of the evening.

I left the evening feeling better than I’ve felt about Washington in a while. And not just because I’d taken down my poker idol in a hand of honest cards, either, but because Washington is the place where government is controlled and created. People come to this town itching for an honest discussion, whether it’s about free trade, poker, abortion, immigration or even balanced budgets (a novel idea in our time), they come here looking to engage in that most American of pursuits: petitioning their government for redress. And it was that, tonight, that put the spring in my step as I walked to my car through the cool spring evening.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

“special” my ass

While others may worry about red light cameras, I worry more about the myriad police forces roaming the city with real, live officers thinking they’re important. Case in point is the “Special Police” I photographed yesterday on K Street.

Anyone recognize this “Special Police” force? I see no markings signifying agency or government. No blue lights even, though I did see yellow lights on the dash.

Before you say “rent-a-cop” since when did paid security companies get to use the word “police”. No this makes me think there is anew (and redundant) Sheriff in town.

Any clue with whom or why?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

films on the hill

It is a standard art house crowd here tonight at Films on the Hill. They have to be as the film, Old San Francisco, isn’t one of them new-fangled talkies. No we’re talking a silent film, which was lucky for us. If the film had dialogue we would’ve missed it all thanks to the obscenely noisy bitch seated next to us.

First she slowly and nosily ate two bags of popcorn, loudly looking for the last crumbs in the bottom of the paper bags before crumpling them up and tossing them on my bag. Next she spent 20 minutes looking through her purse for another buck to buy bag 3. Oh, and we’re talking jingling keys and dropping metal bins of change looking in a purse. She even had the audacity to turn on a flashlight mid-search.

Had I been alone, when she paused in her noisemaking for a moment, I would’ve leaned over and said: “Please don’t stop the racket now; I might actually hear the music!”

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Watch your pockets at the sporting events, folks, at least if you’re the helpful type. From the police blotter comes a story of a kind-hearted soul helping someone who tripped and fell in front of him outside RFK on Friday… only to have his wallet lifted by the shill’s accomplice while he was helping him up.

“c1 reports while exiting gate a at rfk stadium, s1 appeared to trip in front of him. c1 went to assist s1 to his feet at that time s2 removed various prop from c1’s pocket.”

You should also be careful of you car if you’re not one of the carfree DC crowd. Smash and grab in the district is up 10% from this time last year. I’d suggest you don’t leave anything in your car you’re not willing to be without. The trunk’s not a bad idea if you have a lockable interior release lever, though a determined thief with a crowbar can get in there too.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Last year, El Jefe himself welcomed baseball back to Washington, this year, Vice President Dick Cheney will do the honors at RFK on Tuesday. No word on if this is because the President was unable to throw a strike on Monday in Cincinnati, or because the Mayor declined the honor, but I’m wondering, will Cheney throw a screwball? Will he file down his spikes Ty Cobb style? Or will he opt for the plain old soft toss? Perhaps the Taft-ian throw the ball from the seats to the pitcher?

We’ll find out next Tuesday.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

$2.85 Million. That’s how much Anne Arundel County raked in off their speed cameras in the last five years.

Sadly, it also increased accidents by 40%. Are red light cameras really the answer if all they do is collect money for local governments? Am I the only one who wonders why the insurance industry doesn’t rise up in the night and come after the local governments for the losses caused by these cameras?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

How about in the middle of the Cheaspeake?

The GSA is auctioning off the Baltimore Harbor Lighthouse and the Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse at the end of the month. Me, I’ve been looking for a new headquarters from whence to plan my world dominance and this sea lair might be just what I am looking for. The lighthouse is just a half mile off Gibson Island in Ann Arundel County, and once upon a time it was the lighthouse keepers’ quarters, so I’m betting that there’s a decent amount of living space.

If you want to bid, you need at least $15,000 in certified funds, and the increments are $5,000 for the lighthouse itself. Minimum bid is a cool thirty grand. If you’re serious, the government has some forms for you to fill out and there’s a bunch of regulatory stuff to handle since the lighthouses are navigation aids and on the National Historic Places Register, so be aware, if you want to make it into your lair, you’re going to have to do it within the rules. Please also be aware, there are no public utilities at the lighthouses, so you’re going to have to handle your own supply.

Hat tip to Doc Searls for this one.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

photo courtesy of David et Magalie

DCFoodies reported on Saturday that Ray’s the Steaks has re-opened! As a considerate reporter (and not at all motivated to make sure there was a seat for me) I waited until I could go and verify this myself yesterday. Sure enough, Ray’s is open for business at 6pm every Tuesday through Saturday with a new no-reservation policy. Show up, smile and be seated as soon as there’s a spot.

This was my first Ray’s visit and I was not disappointed.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs Continue reading →

Yours for $180!

My friend Trisha is organizing her Fourth Annual “Babes for Boobs” Celebrity Dream Date Auction to raise funds for breast cancer, and she needs a few more volunteers.

Ten guys and ten girls are auctioned off to go on a date with the winning bidder. To sweeten the deal, each date is sponsored by local businesses so you get great free stuff like dinner for two at Georgia Browns, two tickets to the Improv or canoe rental for two from Shenandoah River Outfitters.

Its super easy too – Trisha does all the work and all you have to do is show up beautiful. The event itself is fun, outrageous, casual, and just good clean fun. I should know, as last year I went for $180. Yep, a hottie paid to date me. The ego gratification alone should tempt you!

So don’t be shy – send her an email and go for it: trisha_white AT yahoo DOT com

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

For a team that was ranked 14th this season, the Lady Terps looked awful good against Duke tonight. Forcing Overtime in the closing seconds of regulation, the Lady Terps took momentum into the extra time and came home with the national championship over the Blue Devils of Duke. With all the hubbub about George Mason in the mens’ tourney, no one was paying attention to the womens’ tourney and that’s a crying shame as Kristi Toliver showed everyone with her three-pointer to end regulation.

The Lady Terps came back from 13 points down in the second half and forced overtime with just 35 seconds remaining, then steamrolled over Duke in OT. Much credit is to be given to Brenda Frese, the Terps’ coach, for her excellent clock management and incredible work with the Lady Terps this year. Truly, we have champions in DC to be proud of!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

old exec under remont

Walking by the Old Executive Office Building today I noticed that the west side was borded up. Asking a guard whats up, he said it was being remodelled over the next few years.

Wasn’t it being remodeled over the last few years too? And here I thought it was finished in the 1800’s. Well, besides that “W” key overhall a few years back..

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Did you see the new advertising on the Metro Red Line today? Apparently there are some new ads in the tunnel between Metro Center and Gallery Place and Gallery Place and Judiciary Square that appear like old-school flipbooks. I do want to check these out, but has anyone seen them yet?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Wayan commented on the neat light show mother nature gave us the other day but the Capital Weather folks have some great pictures of it from around the tidal basin. The long-exposure lightning shot over the Jefferson is not to be missed.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

When Independence Air gave up the ghost, I rooted for JetBlue to get the gates that they abandoned. Looks like that’s not going happen. No longer will DC folks be forced to drive up to BWI to catch Southwest’s cheap flights. They’re going to take two gates to begin with and slowly expand their operations from that tiny beachhead. However, this could result in some serious price-fighting between United, Delta and Southwest, and perhaps spark some increased attention from JetBlue and AirTran at Dulles.

Though I’ve come to hate flying due to the invasive security measures that the inept TSA has brought to the public, it’s nice to see further options available to DC travelers.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs