image courtesy of lewisfrancis

Nobody could blame you if you weren’t aware of Anonymous’ War on Scientology. While interesting, it’s a little obscure, which sadly somewhat interferes with their mission.

The short version: The Church of Scientology has a long history of wielding lawsuits against former members and critical outsiders, usually copyright and trade secret claims. Whether it’s reasonable for a religion to have trade secrets is a subject of a lot of discussion. Places like XENU.net, the home of Operation Clambake, have a lot of backstory on the CoS’s beliefs and behaviors and goes a long way towards explaining why some people have a problem with the CoS.

When the CoS exerted a lot of effort recently to suppress a video of famous Scientologist Tom Cruise being, well… odd, even for Tom Cruise, it apparently kicked off an internet phenomenon. Anonymous declared war on the CoS, which up until Saturday was primarily online shenanigans of the hacker variety. There’s a collection of information trying to make sense of it over here.

Saturday was the first live event revolving around this phenomenon, with hundreds of people showing up at Scientology centers all over the world. There’s a collection of videos and citations of them over here, which included the following one at the CoS center off Dupont Circle. Don’t bother looking for coverage of it in WaPo.

If you’re wondering “why would anyone play that horrific song,” well, it’s because apparently the kind of people interested in Anonymous’ war on Scientology also think the Rickroll meme is funny. Which it kinda is, in the same way as the old joke “how do you keep a moron in suspense?” is funny. However since the whole point is to get someone to subject themselves to it by telling them it’s something else, it doesn’t make a lot of sense in this context. Here it just makes passers-by wonder “if their taste in music is that bad then maybe Scientology is okay.”

On the other hand, I think more protests should involve dancing, even if it’s to crap 80s songs.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Yep, it’s pretty windy out there, and dammit, it’s cold to boot. 18F here, -5F with the windchill. This is the kind of weather that has me thinking that California may be a better place to live by far. But, not quite as a nice a scene in Modesto, if you know what I mean.

Crime Cameras Go Live

DC Police cameras in high crime areas are live, and the Police are pulling their best Big Brother impersonation together. Wait, you thought this was a repeat? So did I. Except that while 73 cameras were live in August of 2006, no one was watching them. Sure, they could use the footage after the fact, but now they’re watching the cameras feeds live. Most creepy from the Post article was this line from Chief Lanier: “I’d love to have the whole city wired like London.” Chief, technology is no substitute for officers in the field, don’t treat it as such.

GW Finalizes Development Deal for Old Hospital Site

The three-acre Parcel 54 area of DC, near 23rd & I Sts NW is the site of the old GW Hospital, and will soon be the site of 842,000 square feet of office, retail and residential space. The space will include a grocery store, amongst other retail options, as well as 1,000 parking spaces that will be much needed.

Obama vs. Clinton Tomorrow in DC!

Two Senators are facing off on the ballot tomorrow, fighting it out for the nomination of their party for the presidency. Elections across the DC area take place tomorrow, and the polls in Virginia put Sen. Barack Obama up on Sen. Hillary Clinton by 15 points at the moment. In addition, John McCain and dark horse candidate Mike Huckabee are also on the ballot for the Republicans, but the split is far wider between the two.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It’s the Sunday before the Potomac Primary, and as I expected, our phone has rung a few times today. However, how it rang, and who was on the other end, that was the fascinating part, and in many ways, telling about what they were all about.

The first call of the day came in at a little before 11am. The number was local (571) and belonged to Nova for Obama, according to the caller ID. It was a young woman from the Obama campaign, a volunteer. She was nervous, but in that endearing way that indicated a barely-contained enthusiasm. She asked how I was, and wanted to let me know there was a primary election on Tuesday. I told her my wife and I were well aware, that we were undecided, but planning to vote. She thanked me for my time, encouraged me gently to vote for Sen. Obama and then hung up.

The second call of the day came in just before 5pm. The number was in South Carolina (803) and belonged to “Columbia SC” according to the caller ID. It was a robotic call, featuring the voice of Bill Clinton, urging us to vote for Hillary in the primary on Tuesday. We hung up midway through.

So, one camp has a machine do their dirty work, another has someone lining up to spend time on a phone bank. Is there really no one willing to work for Hillary calling voters?

Who called you today?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Wayan’s DC Photos

Today there was a brutal attack on the 1400 block of P Street NW.

An innocent recycled glass jar of vegan, Fair Trade, organic, heirloom tomato salsa was smashed against cold, unforgiving concrete.

A cry was heard from the scene – bystanders thought it was either the anguish of the rehabilitated child soldier subsistence farming cooperative that hand-crafted the salsa.

Or the socially conscious, environmentally aware, enlightened consumer who just lost $12.99 + tax to the mean streets of Washington DC.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you did a double take when you heard that the new head coach for the Redskins was Jim Zorn, you’re not alone. Most of the football world is saying, “Wait, What did you just say?!” Zorn was just hired by the club to be the Offensive Coordinator for the Skins and wasn’t on the list of coaches like Jim Fassel, Steve Mariucci, Gregg Williams and Steve Spagnuolo who were publicly posited as the obvious choices to inherit the reins from Joe Gibbs. Before signing up to the be the head coach, Zorn was the Quarterbacks Coach in Seattle, and the very first Quarterback for the Seahawks.

So, why did the rest of the coaches say no? Was working with Dan Snyder too daunting a task? I know I’d have serious questions about an owner who was hip deep into running the franchise whose instincts were about as accurate as, well, a blind man running through a maze. Is Zorn really a step forward?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Seen in Boring-Ass Bethesda

I have never seen one property management company renting space from another one. I suppose it happens all the time but it sounds a little bit like me, a photographer, going to get a portrait made by someone else. Granted, in some professions it’s difficult to do work for yourself, such as dentist, proctologist or barber. Those ones I can understand knocking on someone else’s door. But for a property management company that needs to rent space?

Have you seen this sort of thing before?

The real estate market is as unpredictable as any other market in the world. Agents who find themselves in a slump in sales need to do something to improve their outlooks. Usually, if sales are declining, it’s because a particular sales strategy isn’t working as well as it used to.

Considering current policies and looking at ways to improve is a good start toward increasing sales. However, the actions that a real estate agent should take to shore up their sales numbers go beyond that.

Consistency in marketing and sales activity is key. Assess your current marketing and sales plan, if you need help See the a a step-by-step guide on real estate marketing materials. Block out one hour each day to reach out to new people and another hour to have conversations with your existing customer base. If you do this consistently every day, you will have a significant increase in opportunities!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you spend any amount of time on the net at all there’s a good chance that you’ve seen the above video, with ukelele superstar Jake Shimabukuro doing an amazing cover of “While my guitar gently weeps.” As it turns out, the man is a touring machine and will be in town for several performances. I always enjoy Ram’s Head Tavern in Annapolis and may go out for a show (nothing says love like taking your darling girlfriend to a ukelele performance on Valentine’s day) but he’ll also be at DAR Constitution Hall on the 17th.

For free.

The United States Air Force Band is sponsoring a series of free events there on the next few Sundays, starting this weekend with the band Restless Heart on the 10th. The 17th is Jake Shimabukuro, the 24th is Jubilant Sykes and the series wraps up on March 2nd with Empire Brass.

All the shows are at 3pm and doors open at 2p, no tickets required.

DAR Constitution Hall, 3pm on Feb 10th, 17th, 24th and Mar 2nd
1776 D Street NW

View Larger Map

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Friday is here at long last. This week has seemed interminably long, maybe because of the primaries, maybe because of the weather, maybe because it’s February. Who the hell knows. But it’s Friday now, and that’s all that matters.

The bumper sticker is from Cat and Girl, which Brittany says is one of the eight best things about the internet.

Well, that’s one way to dispose of servers

Congratulations to the DC Office of Tax & Revenue for their creative recycling tactics which include leaving some of their computer servers in the alley next to the Columbia Heights Ruby Tuesday. No idea if they’ve got your personal information on it, but somebody screwed the pooch but good. We all know they make good boat anchors, not alley trash.

Beltway’s back Open again

…after the Tanker Fire that Carl was talking about. Things are still pretty fubar after a tanker burst into flames on the Outer Loop around 9:30 this morning. Not a fun time, for sure.

Special Ed Backup

Yesterday, it was about DC’s failing foster care system, today it’s about special education IEPs, over 2000 of which will lapse in a period of 50 days beginning last week. That’s a helluva lot of IEPs to review and maintain in 50 days.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. I know, the suspense has been killing you! Our inbox here at Metblogs has been overflowing with e-mails asking, “Who will Max endorse as his candidate for President?” Will it be Rudy “Mr. 911” Giuliani? Nah, he talks funny and I’m tired of people using scare tactics to justify wars. Speaking of wars, how about John “The War on Poverty” Edwards? Nah, he talks even funnier and reminds me too much of this guy. What about Mitt Romney? He is a handsome devil, but to be honest, Mormons just plain scare me. And what about John McCain you ask? Anyone who can show this much love for Bush has spent one too many days in a POW camp.

So who? Who, Max? Will it be Hillary then? Well I do like Hill. She’s intelligent, talks about improving health care, likes using solar energy and other alternatives, has Bill as the First Ambassador, and let’s be honest, Chelsea is starting to look kinda cute. She’s been in politics since I was in diapers and knows how to be the captain of the U.S. Government. But there’s just something about those Clintons. You just never know how much you can trust them.

Oh, so then you’re endorsing Obama then right? Right? Well he’s been against the war in Iraq for a 100 years or something. He seems to have no skeletons in his closet. He’s got pipes that are fit for doing NBC commercial voice overs and teeth fit for being the Crest spokesperson. And Marion Barry is endorsing him right? I mean wow, Marion Barry!

Well I hate to say it, but it’s a tie. I can’t fully endorse Clinton or Obama because the decision is just…too…difficult. That’s why I’ve decided to endorse Hillack Obinton, the dream candidate for the ages. With Hillack, America will be loved by the world once again. Obinton will send Bill and Oprah around the world to mend our broken fences. John Edwards will be brought in as the head of FEMA where he will truly put New Orleans back together again. Steven Spielberg will be hired as the Defense Secretary where he’ll design the coolest looking and best documented wars we’ve ever seen. Google will be put in charge of developing cars that run on old cell phone batteries and recycled Starbucks coffee cups. The Gates Foundation will graciously donate half of its money to rebuild our schools and raise teachers’ salaries, but only on one condition – Apple must be investigated for being funded by communists and run by Al Qaeda.

So join me in my support for Hillack Obinton in 2008! Or…just vote for Clinton or Obama because either one of them will probably do a darn good job.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I was flipping around area websites, looking for possibilities for the weekend (even though it’s supposed to be rather frigid, it’s nothing compared to my winters in Chicago) and stumbled upon this tidbit of info.

Seems that Mount Vernon has been capitalizing on the success of the recent Nicky Cage movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets. If you’re not familiar with the movie, there’s a scene where our intrepid puzzle-solving hero (Cage) decides he needs to kidnap the President of the United States (played by Bruce Greenwood) and does so at a garden party at Mount Vernon. And it revolves around a ‘hidden passageway’ in one of the estate’s basement rooms.

When I first saw the movie, I do remember commenting to my wife afterwards that in all likelihood, we’ll see several D.C. sites jump on the ‘free’ marketing bandwagon and promote themselves along with the movie. And lo and behold, Mount Vernon did indeed.

This weekend is the last available date you can go visit the site for the scene. There’s no additional cost – it’s included in the regular admission and you can only visit that space on the weekend. General admission to Mount Vernon is around $13 for adults and is well worth the cost – it’s a beautiful estate right on the Potomac.

It’s interesting – as usual – how movies portray things that are out of context with the real world. The room used in the movie, according to the website, was actually “designated as the ‘Cellar Kitchen’ on a plan prepared by George Washington at the time he planned additions to both ends of the building in 1774. This space appears to have been used as a kitchen for the slaves assigned to serve the Washington household.”

No mention of a secret passage, however. And I would suggest if you go check it out, don’t try – I’ve a sneaking suspicion that Hollywood made it all up…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Yep, it’s going to be a mess for a while over there, so try to avoid that area if possible.

From the Arlington Alert system:

VDOT reports tanker fire on I-95 at Eisenhower Ave exit. Inner and outer loops blocked; responders on scene. Expect major delays.

UPDATE:
Again, from Arlington Alert:

Traffic has reopened on the Beltway (I-95) near Eisenhower Ave. All Outer Loop lanes open, and 3 lanes of Inner Loop are open. Residual delays are still possible.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

What is this?

I had a considerable wait last night at the Adams Morgan Metro stop after having a beer with my brother, who is in town for CPAC. No, I don’t agree with his politics; I just drink beer with him when the opportunity arises.

Anyway, I was waiting for my train and saw one of those weird contraptions pictured at right. I have often seen these and wondered if they are the chemical sniffers Metro has installed in many of the stations. Can anyone out there tell me for sure?

About a minute after I took this picture, I heard a commotion and saw a visibly drunk woman being guided by a visibly more sober man. She was talking loudly and weaving as she moved. As she approached the above machine, she gave it a good kick and laughed like a hyena. She continued to walk around, being helped along, kept from falling on the rails by his steady hand.

Adams Morgan Drunk

When one train came the man got on, looking very relieved to be done with her and like he hoped she wouldn’t join him. It appeared to be a satyisfactory ending to a bad date, at least for him. I looked around the corner and saw her, sitting on the floor, going through her purse. The train took off and she remained. I tried to stay close in case she needed help, but also wanted to be out of range of a drunken eruption. Eventually my train came and she got on as well and passed out, so I was glad she was at least on her way somewhere.

Remember the old days when alcoholism was funny? Remember Otis from The Andy Griffith Show? Remember how the big thing was to not let him get behind the wheel and how funny it was that he had to be under half-time supervision? Remember the Drunken Master, of Jackie Chan fame, and all his humorous antics? Seeing drunks up close is not nearly as funny as when they are on the screen. It reminds me of my days working in a homeless shelter and seeing people with various substance abuse issues trying to get back on their feet. At least then it was hopeful because people were trying to change, regardless of their success in that endeavor. This woman on Metro last night – that’s just sad.

There’s nothing like a drunk to make you want to take a drink or quit drinking altogether.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Unless you’ve been fortunate enough to be living under a rock these last 94 months, you know we’re in the middle of the Presidential Primaries and that the chaos is coming to our area this next Tuesday the 12th. If you’re a Virginia registered voter and interested in casting your vote but won’t be available on Tuesday you’ve got an option, at least until around 5p on Saturday.

Cast an in-person absentee ballot.

If you do so you won’t be alone; a radio report this morning said that our area was seeing about 600 people a day coming in to do just that, an increase of about ten-fold over usual. Theoretically you need a particular reason, but the list is so long that it’s hard to believe anything other than “I plan on being in the nudie bar from dawn till dusk” wouldn’t quality.

You can either look at your voter’s registration card for the section that says “Voter Registration Office” or you can go to this web link to look up your polling place. You don’t GO to your polling place, but the results will also include the accompanying Locality Electoral Board Contact Information.

Here’s two quick links here for Arlington folks and Fairfax folks. The rest of you can use the form.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Okay, maybe not 20 degree days, but certainly we’re looking at some cooler temperatures as compared to earlier in the week. Prepare for some windy today and tomorrow, with cooler and cooler temperatures. Don’t put the coat away yet.

Connolly to Run For Davis’ Seat

As Tom Davis (R-Vienna) retires and steps back from the public eye, it appears that Gerry Connolly will step into the race to replace him, joining Leslie Byrne in competing from the left for the seat in Fairfax County that has so long been a friend to the District. Here’s hoping whomever inherits the position finds themselves in alignment with DC Voting Rights.

Major Jump in Child Abuse Calls After January Incident

After four deaths took place in the DC Foster System earlier this year, there was a major spike in the number of abuse reports in the District. The hotlines for tips have been ringing off the hook, from 130 to 160 calls a day, with as many as 210 calls in a single day. So, what’s causing this? Is this a kneejerk in response to the deaths of those 4 girls? Is this a good-faith effort on the part of neighbors? It’s certainly putting a lot more strain on an already-strained system. When you think there are only 1200 or so kids in the system, are 10-15% being abused each day?

Newseum to Open 11 April 2008

The brand new home of the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue will open on April 11th, 2008 after being closed for six years. The old home in Rosslyn was closed back in 2002 to make way for the new home. The new Newseum will run you $20 for admission, instead of the old “free” admission fee. Ouch, $20? Even the Spy Museum’s cheaper than that!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Thank you, whoever fixed this sign on Old Georgetown Rd. The ongoing construction has shut down the sidewalk for months and still shows no sign of letting up. Those of us who are funloving enough either dodge traffic or do a deft balance beam move by walking on the curb as traffic speeds by. No, it isn’t smart, but it’s easier than crossing the street, walking a couple blocks to the next crosswalk and crossing back again.

At least now I know that the last word on the sign is an indicator of location rather than a verb, which always confused me. Either way, I say to hell with it. It’s the balance beam for me.

Where do you typically disobey pedestrian laws?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

One of our readers wrote in the other day to ask about spots to view the upcoming lunar eclipse on February 20th:

It’d be great to solicit some suggestions on the best places to view February’s total lunar eclipse – I missed the August one so this will be the first one I’ll be in town for, and would love to find a nice, clear (noise-pollution free!) area to view from.

So, what say you? All those roof-top decks in DC? The Washington Monument? A field out in Fairfax or upper Montgomery County?

Where are you going to see the red moon?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Left Lunch

Originally uploaded by brownpau.

If you were on the red line this morning and managed to leave your lunch behind someone would like to do you a favor and give it back.

So if you had a spinach salad, bag of carrots, grapefruit, water bottle refilled with some kind of juice, then your lunch has been found, and Craigslist can get you back in touch with it.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I’m sure it’s more than a little slow in some offices this morning as folks who spent their night out watching election returns, and in some cases, drinking heavily, trickle into the office looking like varying degrees of warmed over death. I know that’s a bit how I feel, and I’m not even all that invested! On to the news.

No Noose is Good Noose

As three nooses were found at a Rockville High School, the public effect of nooses is being considered in DC, and Councilman Kwame Brown is proposing legislation to make the display of a noose a hate crime. Of course, the nooses in Rockville were made with the cords from the venetian blinds, so take that Maryland racist with a bit of…flair, then, shall we?

Redskins Pay Tribute to Green & Monk

The Redskins played host to a tribute to their two new hall of famers yesterday out at Redskins Park. Apparently, Art Monk spoke for 10 minutes, which is about 9 minutes more than he normally would speak to anyone about anything. I think this may have opened the floodgates a bit.

Dulles Rail Still in Limbo

As the weeks drag on, the Dulles Rail saga continues unabated. This week’s news includes the fact that the project still is unrated, meaning it hasn’t been given a pass or a fail grade yet. Some see this as success, some see it as a failure. It’s hard to tell, this is one situation that is fractally confused: anyone part of the whole saga is as confusing as the whole.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Just what I wanted

Originally uploaded by tiffany bridge.

I just ate this. And it was so good.

While I pondered all the ways Ben’s chili half-smoke could promote world peace, the little granny at the table behind me was having an animated discussion of her First Amendment rights… And how they relate to patio furniture.

God I love DC.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs