Wold Cup Soccer Shirt

Maybe something that says “Washington DC” to you that’s different than the tourist trap T-shirts? May I sugget the ultimate in odd DC paraphernalia? May I suggest a “washington dc” search on eBay?

Doing one will give you all kinds of results. In my quick view I found great keepsakes like:

• Vintage World Cup DC shirt from 1994
• Attack on the Pentagon coin
• 51st State Quarter
• 1977 Inauguration License Plate

What might you find? Maybe my favorite: an Ambassador Hotel coat hanger?

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Right now, at the back entrance to the National Zoo this band is rocking out.

Part of the Zoo’s Sunset Serenades every Thursday thru August 10, they are treating a lawn full of families to some serious Jimi Hendrix.

Got kids? Then see you here next Thursday @ 6.30!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

My most recent Fringe outing was to Tuesday’s late-night presentation of “Naked Cabaret.” As they say repeatedly in the show, “Not that kind of naked – emotionally naked.”

This is the central concept holding the show together – performers Terri Allen, Steven Cupo, Emily Leatha Everson, Judy Simmons and Lonny Smith are supposed to be people together for some sort of group therapy / discussion session, as are we the audience to a lesser extent. On entering we were all asked, nay, ordered to provide a secret on a piece of paper and drop it in the jar. Over the course of the performance they’re picked out and read, though at a few junctures what’s really said are turning points for the overall plot of the show. One of the ones we submitted was never read, though all the items made it out of the jar by the performance’s end, so we know some were discarded.

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

Less than 48 hours from now, you should be here, at Fletchers Boat house, or as I like to call it, Fletchers International Boat house.

Why? For DC Metroblogging’s Second Anniversary BBQ Bash of course!

I bet you didn’t know we’d be riverside, and better yet, at Fletchers where you can rent row boats, canoes, and even fishing gear if you need a excuse to escape our boring drivel riveting conversation.

If you’re lucky I might even make it a pinata party!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Who says DC is only the 9th Best City for Singles? Certainly not Washingtonian Magazine’s August 2006 issue.

As one of my observant supermodels noted, the current Washingtonian even adds in “blogging” as a fun DC activity. Better yet, its placement of the word blogging suits me just fine – right under the model’s fine ass.

Wait! Might that be a snub by the Washingtonian, mad from a loss of readership and importance to this new participant-driven media medium?

No matter, we still ♥ Washingtonian Magazine!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Congrats to former Wonkette editor Ana Marie Cox on her new promotion!

She’s been named the Washington Editor of Time.com. No word on whether or not this will result in more prurient material on time.com, but my guess is a nice firm maybe.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Hungry for lunch right about now, if you’re headed to Cafe Phillips on 14th Street, be advised: posted in at least three places is this sign:

“Please Keep All Personal Items In View”

While the hot Mongolian cashiers didn’t comment on the sign and just laughed at my rusty Street Russian pick-up lines, I’m surprised by the command.

Does Cafe Phillips worry it’s a terrorist target? Should we include it on the Homeland Security Watch-List to stop DC from losing its terrorism protection money? Or does it just wanna make life easier for pickpockets annoyed with patrons hiding bags under tables or reduce patron’s forgotten bags after gorging on fresh-sliced meats?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Mayor Williams is calling for a full efficiency review of the MPD as part of the Crime Emergency, to see how efficiently the current police force is being used and to look at expanding the active officer corps on the street to a level as high as 5,100 police officers for the city. Is more police the answer, or is better policing the answer?

I hope that we can stop and examine current policy before it’s decided by fiat that there is significant need for an expanded police force. The better question is: if they need to expand the force, can they do it? It’s fairly difficult to find quality recruits who are willing to work in the MPD. In 2003 when DC added 175 officers, the Post points out it took more than a year to find that many qualified candidates and cope with attrition. How long will it take to add an additional 1,300 officers?

Better yet, where do we focus them? Do we bolster the current districts? Redistrict the city to create a more efficient system? There are a lot of questions we have to answer before it’s decided that we need a larger officer corps.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Parking on Mass Ave well after nine, I emerge from my car to find a movable party happening in Dupont Circle. Two jazz musicians, a saxophonist and what sounds like a trumpet, play in the park exchanging solos and occasional duets. The display at the Sun Trust say 9:52 and 88 degrees, and it’s every bit a hot and sticky night in DC. The kind of night where you feel like you’re wearing the blanket you’ve hidden away for winter around your shoulders in the dampness.

Walking down to Big Hunt, I pass the ever-present rose guy, hassling a man to buy his woman a cheap plastic rose. The man’s not having it and his woman looks both smug and perturbed at once. The bar is mostly full, the dark booths hiding their occupants well, and I missed my friends sitting down four booths back. I order a Guinness and watch the TV.

The jukebox at the Big Hunt is something of a technological wonder. Much like one of Charlie Stross’ cornucopiae machines, it seems to produce whatever you can tell it to find by searching through its catalog and selecting what you want. Tonight’s selections run from good 80s alt-rock to current nouveau britpop and back again, and the bar seems to approve, as I saw a few older guys nodding their heads in sync with the beat. They almost looked like a grunge revival version of the guys from Night at the Roxbury. Almost.

A few beers later, having found my friends in plain sight, we leave the bar. They for their downtown hotel and some crash time, me for heat of the summer night and a brief walk before sleeping. As I turn the corner at Connecticut, the Sun Trust oracle says 85, no, wait, strike that, 86 degrees, switching back to the higher value after some considered thought like a politician rethinking his vote. 11:12 it says as I turn the corner to find my car.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Are you in international development? Maybe even know who DevEx is? If either then you should be at 18th Street Lounge now.

It is the annual DevEx happy hour and as these two show, development chicks are hot!

Oh yeah and free food too.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

With the Crime Emergency continuing onward, and all of DC’s efforts on stopping violent crime, this story came our way via Chris Needham at Capital Punishment. As part of the deal with the city, Major League Baseball made some improvements to local sports fields and that included a set of impressive bleachers at Ballou High School in Southeast.

Last week, the benches, made of prime grade aluminum, were stolen for scrap metal and sold. It was about 750 pounds of aluminum that was taken, and probably fetched at least $500 for it all.

What kind of sick bastard does this? Seriously, this is ridiculous.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

I know you’re looking at this photo right now and thinking only one thing: Saturday is DC Metroblogging’s Second Anniversary BBQ Bash, and I’m going!

We’re glad you’re just as excited as we are about grilling, drinking, and talking with us crazy mad DC Metroblogging crew as we are to be meeting our loyal stalkers readers and trolls commenters.

Now do yourself a favor, email Stacy so you can get on the Evite.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The two – the only

While I was disappointed that my kickball team, Morally Casual, went missing in action, it seems my team’s disillusionment, disinterest, and dissatisfaction was not wholly dissimilar to other’s experience in the league.

The World Adult Kickball summer 2006 playoffs are becoming a test of perseverance, the team that actually shows up is going to win. No play needed. Do you think I’m exaggerating? How about this email from the league captain:

“Because of the large number of forfeits we will be condensing the playoffs into a 12 team format.

Morally Casual, Franks Tanks, Holy Shirts and Pants and Recreational Anomaly are out. If you’re on one of those teams sorry.”

That would be 25% of the kickball league forfeiting for a lack of four girls + four boys willing to kick the ball. Why the loss of WAKA teams?

Could it be the result of WAKA kickball being kicked down the Mall? Or maybe losing players to the two other kickball leagues breathing down their neck? My bet, WAKA is too fat with over $1 million in revenues and lost its hunger for real kickball on the National Mall.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Some time ago I wrote about the Redskins’ cheerleader tryouts. The slots have been filled and the pictures taken – now it’s time for the calendar release party at the Clarendon Ballroom tomorrow evening. I don’t know that I’ll be attending but I can understand the appeal of pictures of pretty ladies and getting to watch them perform without the ugly necessity of sitting through a football game.

But really…. if I wanted to get people to show up it would be “autographs and photo opportunities” and “LIVE performances by the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders” that would be in big bold type, not “Hosted by Larry Michael.” Larry, you may be the “voice” of the Redskins (why the spurious quotes?) but they could get Elmer Fudd to do that job for all the difference it’s gonna make to anyone who’s going to that event. Nobody’s coming for the VOICES….

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Chances are, it’s incidences like these that are costing DC at budget time for Department of Homeland Security funds. Our cohorts in Minneapolis think it’s probably just as ridiculous as it looks, but it seems that events like these are used by other states to drum up support for increased budgets to protect things like the Mitchell Corn Palace or some other roadside wonder instead of being used to protect real, actual targets instead of things that are bullshit excuses from middle american politicians to “protect omaha from them dern terrists!”

Fact is, it’s our big cities, like this one, like LA, like NYC, that are going to be the targets, not Omaha, not Minneapolis (even if they do throw sweet zombie parties!) not Kansas City.

But still, those congresscritters think the best way to protect their jobs is to “prevent terrorism” in the same way that our city council believes the best way to be reelected is to “prevent crime” by adding useless cameras.

Eventually, it’s going to cost lives.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

With the Nats ownership transfer now complete, and Jim Bowden is cut free of his MLB puppet strings, it should be an interesting week over at RFK for the GM and his newly free staff. The Nats, suddenly, are the belle of the ball, showing off Alfonso Soriano like a brand new corvette for all to see. See, Soriano is the hottest commodity in baseball right now: a multi-position power hitter with an OPS of close to 1.000. There are several teams looking seriously at dealing prospects to the Nationals in exchange for Soriano.

Sure, it means the Nats might finish 25 games back in the division and significantly under .500, but I think you have to admit that was going to be their fate anyhow, and with Soriano’s contract up at the end of the season, it’s not likely he’d be staying here. So, away he goes, in exchange for some rookies along the same calibre of Ryan Zimmerman, who’s been amazing to watch at third this season.

Will it be the White Sox in exchange for one of their hot prospects? The Yankees, in exchange for Phil Hughes? The Angels in exchange for Ervin Santana? Or will it be a Ricky-William-esque trade wherein we get a team’s entire draft card for next season?

We’ll know before Monday night at midnight when the trade deadline expires.

Will it be the Angels? The White Sox? The Yanks? The Tigers? Tell us what you hear.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

This was the scene at 18th and P Street’s Embassy of Iraq this afternoon.

The crowd said the commotion, inclusive of Code Pink protesters, was for the Prime Minister of Iraq. DC MPD said the cryptic “A VIP is in town.”

No matter, I hope you steered clear if you were driving through Dupont.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Flyertalk is reporting that the new special security lines for the upper class are now available out at Dulles airport. If you’re a First Class or Business traveler, or maintain an elite membership in an airline, you can now use their special security lines, which will have a shorter queue.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. Part of me says that it’s a whole classist “if you can pay for first class seats, you can clearly pay for faster security” thing, part of me says that if you’ve got the cash to shell out for the service, you might be important enough to need it. But, doesn’t this circumvention of the basic security principles show that the TSA’s mere presence is generally unimportant overall? That they’re really just an incredibly expensive panacea in general?

The TSA, to my knowledge, has been shown to be fairly susceptible various threats including the disassembly of bombs into pieces and moving them through security in that fashion amongst a group of passengers. Has there been a case where the TSA actually stopped someone bent on causing harm? I’m sure we’d have heard about it, trumpeted to the high heavens if they had, but I’m fairly sure they’re no more effective than the screeners we had before. No, I’m not foolish enough to believe that just because you can’t see a visible effect from the presence of a group doesn’t mean they’re without effect, but really, do I need to take off my shoes for these guys?

What do you make of these new “express” security lines? More waste? Less?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Now that Tom’s Kitty Krisis has passed, we have a new feline focus: Naming the National Zoo’s three Sumatran tiger cubs.

While you could cast your vote for one of the funky names selected by the Zoo’s tiger keepers, I say we take this contest out of its too-cute box.

Check out the tiger cub cam and tell me, do these three look like they could be named “Jati (JAH-tee)” for “teak wood” or “Kemala” (ka-MAH-lah) for “magic stone”? Hell no!

Good tiger names should evoke their status as masters of the Sumatran jungle. How about “Death Slash” or “Blood Fang” or my favorite “Shere Khan Wayan”?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Amalah had an interesting post yesterday about something she witnessed in Georgetown, and after all the flamefests we’ve had here over comments made about the homeless, I thought I’d call attention to it.

More interesting than the story (after all, who doesn’t occasionally suspect that they’re being scammed?) are the comments on the post- people who are soured on ever giving anything to the homeless because of bad experiences they’ve had, people who steadfastly continue to give because kindness is kindness, no matter how illegitimately obtained, people who have resorted to giving only food, to people who assume it’s none of their business what the homeless spend the money they’ve been given on.

What do you guys think? How do you react when a homeless person asks for money? Let’s try not to make it a flamewar- I’m interested in what you think about the situation, not what you think about people who disagree with you, mmmkay?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs