In case you haven’t heard, today is going to be hotter than two rats in a wool sock. Dig the cooling options in Fairfax sent to me by Falls Church Emergency Alerts:

Due to ongoing power outages and extreme temperatures, Fairfax County will open two cooling centers on Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Cub Run RECenter, 4630 Stonecroft Boulevard, Chantilly, and the Providence RECenter, 7525 Marc Drive, Falls Church.

Residents can lie down, cool down and get cold water at both these centers. However, people visiting the cooling centers will not be able to use the fitness facilities or pools for free. Those who need transportation or more information should call these centers directly. Call the Cub Run RECenter at 703-817-9407, TTY 711; the Providence RECenter at 703-698-1351, TTY 711.

This weekend residents also can get a temporary respite from the heat at one of the county’s library branches, other RECenters and pools, or private facilities, such as a mall. However, residents should call the facility first to verify hours of operation.

Resting for just two hours in air conditioning and drinking water can significantly reduce heat-related illnesses.

Residents who need immediate, life-saving help should call 9-1-1. For other safety help, call the public safety non-emergency phone number at 703-691-2131, TTY 711.

More information on how to stay safe and cool is available online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/.

What are you doing today to keep cool?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Famous Dave’s has a new drive-through at their location on Rt 123.

0605082027a.jpg, courtesy of UUMickey

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you walked by Greater Goods, the all things eco-friendly store on U Street, tonight and glanced in the window you may have wondered what all those nerdy looking guys and girls were doing with soldering irons huddled around several large tables. They were doing what any self-respecting geek in DC could be doing on a Thursday night: attending one of Make:DC‘s first organizational meetings and putting together a tiny circuit board useful for controlling motors like those found in robots.

Make:DC is a new group organized by local mechanical engineer Adam Koeppel as an offshoot of the popular MAKE Magazine. According to the website, the group aims to “inspire and organize the Washington, DC community of makers for greater collaboration and learning.” From tonight’s meeting, it seems they’re well on their way.

I went into the meeting not having used a soldering iron since shop class in middle school, and through some expert assistance and liberal borrowing of tools, I was able to build one of the $20 DC Motor Driver Board designed by one of the group members. (If you’re not sure what a DC Motor Driver Board is, fear not, I wasn’t entirely sure either. But in future meetings, we’ll be using them to control motors, build small robots, and do other neat things with them.) If you’d like to find out more, visit the group’s website at MakeDC.org. The next meeting is June 19, and other activities are advertised on the website.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Dave Kellett of the online comic SHELDON has pointed out that DC’s conformance to its inspiration is incomplete. I see no choice for us but to go out and make it all fabulous.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Screen on the Green’s schedule is now out for 2008, featuring one of my favorite Bond flicks, Superman, and Cary Grant will take turns making DC’s hot summer nights a great place to be. Mondays starting in Late July and early August will feature films on a giant screen set up on the Mall between 4th and 7th street. Bring a picnic, catch a free movie, enjoy some outdoors time. Movies start around 8pm or so.

Here’s the schedule:

July 14th – Dr. No

July 21st – The Candidate

July 28th – Arsenic and Old Lace

August 4th – The Apartment

August 11th – Superman

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Chief Lanier doesn’t understand the problem with her new plan to turn parts of DC into little parts of Baghdad right here on US soil. In fact, when challenged about the new program, her defensive response is pretty telling: “We put check points in place all the time for major events around federal buildings and nobody cares. Now that we want to do it to stop shootings and violence in our neighborhoods, it’s as if it’s something that’s unreasonable.”

We’re talking about people’s homes here, Chief. We’re talking about hassling them at the end of their long day. And for what, exactly? It’s not like the people from Trinidad go over to Georgetown to rob the rich white folks who live there, is it? Crimes that we’re seeing are local. They’re within the neighborhoods, not without them. So the people that you’re “letting through” the cordon aren’t always going to just be innocent residents. So really, what did you think we were going to do when you decided to set up Sadr City in DC? Were we just going to sit there and say, “Good on you, chief! This is perfect!”

Hell no. Crime’s not as simple a problem that you can fix it with barriers like this. You might get more results just from having more officers in the neighborhood. Which is what you should have anyway. According to DC Law, you are never required to carry identification, yet this new law will bring that to all residents of certain (poor) neighborhoods in the city. So, really, Chief, go back to the drawing board and figure out how to really fight the crime, not just push it around the city with cameras that no one’s really watching, and regulations that make it seem like they belong in a gulag or an eastern bloc country. Okay?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you’re downtown still, get ready for a screwed up commute if you’re on the Orange, Yellow or Green line. Right now you can’t get further west that East Falls Church due to a power failure at that station. According to the service alerts from Metro, “Due to a power problem outside of East Falls Church, trains will terminate at the station. Shuttle bus service has been established. Expect delays in both directions.” The delays on the Green and Yellow lines are mostly related to a power failure at Georgia Ave/Petworth where all the escalators and elevators are out of service, but trains seem to be okay.

I’m reminded of Mitch Hedberg’s comments on escalators…

An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You would never see an “Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order” sign, just “Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience.”

Or, perhaps this video is more appropriate. Either way, something to do at the office if you haven’t left yet and need to get beyond East Falls Church.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

We’ve all seen the news reports lately indicating a rise in violence in the District, with murders up year-over-year, but is it really necessary to start to setup soviet travel checkpoints inside DC? Chief Lanier says yes. In fact, she’s advocating that certain neighborhoods have cordons set up around them, with police controls on who enters and exits the neighborhood. Residents, and those wishing to enter the neighborhood, will have to display ID and a reason to be in the area, or be subject to being turned away, or arrested. Each “Neighborhood Safety Zone” will last for up to 10 days.

Wait. Really? Have we reached a point where we have to put up police checkpoints all over DC in order to feel safe? Needless to say the DC ACLU is on high alert and was seen in the corner mumbling something like “what could they possibly be thinking?”

I know that in situations like this it’s not exactly polite to mock a proposal so clearly, but do you really think that just six officers will be able to create an effective neighborhood-wide cordon?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Unless your office is deep within the bowels of a bunker, you know there’s a major weather system making a bum’s rush through the DC area. I was driving back from a PT appointment in Springfield when the deluge hit my car. I’ve been through some nasty storms on the Plains, and this one ranks right up there with those. The rain was coming down in sheets, pouring sideways into my car at 30-50mph, judging by how much the cars were rocking near us. The light at Keene Mill and 395 was a real long one, as cars were hoping it would just pass by. Traffic up 395 plodded along at 45mph, heading northward into the system. Most cars were doing the right thing and flashing their hazards as the rain drenched the approach into the District.

I pulled off 395, grateful to have missed what was the worst part of the storm to the North of the city. We had several tree limbs down in Fairlington, and they were major limbs not just little branches. The guys from the association were out in their jeepneys to move the limbs off the road and keep it all clear.

Not to be too dramatic, but there are two potential systems that could hit the city later today, so I don’t think we’re quite out of the woods. A little before 4pm, one system was halfway between Charleston, WV and the Virginia/WV border, and another on the Ohio/WV border and both are on straight-line paths for DC, if conditions hold up.

Just a quick reminder for storm behavior:

If the Light is Out, it’s a Four Way Stop. If a traffic signal is out, STOP at the intersection, THEN proceed. Don’t be a jackass and blow right through like it’s not there.

In the event of a Tornado, Seek Shelter If you can see a funnel cloud, or there is one in your area head for the basement. Barring a basement, get as low as you can, and as central as possible to the house.

Don’t be out unless you have to be. In a storm like this, get inside. Don’t be that guy driving around looking for intrigue.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Last Friday, me and the missus decided to dine in Old Town. We were craving Irish food; after our jaunt up in Maine a few weeks back and hitting several New England pubs we were feeling nostalgic for our Ireland walkabout back in 2005 and wanted to try getting back to that setting. Yes, yes, this is Virginia after all, but no harm in trying, right?

I’d read some reviews on O’Connell’s a while back and since it boasted itself as “a modern Irish restaurant in an ancient Irish setting” (from their website), we decided to give it a whirl.

We arrived right at 5 p.m., before the dinner crush on a typical spring weekend evening on King Street. After doing a quick check of the menu out front, we followed the pleasant and cheery hostess upstairs to the third floor. (As an aside, I love it when restaurants post their menus out front – saves me a heap of time of going in, scanning the menu and then bailing because I can’t find anything on it that waters my mouth.)

Seated in a corner along the long banister “corridor” connecting two of the older bars upstairs, the busboy was prompt in getting us water. So we dove into the menu and after some discussion, decided what to eat.

And then waited for our server.

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

While looking at information on next week’s O’Reilly conference Graphing Social Patterns – (“this event is for both business executives and technical developers who want to learn more about the evolving environment, and how to reach online communities using new and established social networking platforms and applications”) I clicked through to see what the conference rate and media pass information.

I was pretty amused to read their section on media qualifications.

To qualify for a complimentary media pass for GSP East, the applicant must cover the industry on a regular basis by writing regular reports or publishing articles on related business or technology issues that are not solicited by an exhibiting company. Private consultants who are paid by an individual company are not eligible for a media pass, and should request a pass from the sponsoring company. Also not eligible are financial/financial research analysts, book authors, contributors to user/community group publications, [emphasis mine] or photographers unless they are on official assignment with a reporter who has already been issued media credentials.

Don’t get me wrong – I understand completely that this conference is largely targeted at those people, so giving away access isn’t a smart business move – but it still makes me chuckle to read about a social network conference that doesn’t certify ‘citizen journalists.’

Image courtesy of Luc Legay

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For those of you donut fanatics out there, have I got a deal for you! If you sign up as a Friend of Krispy Kreme they will give you not a dozen, not a half dozen, not even three, but ONE free glazed donut. Not a chocolate donut. Not a sprinkles donut. Not a cream filled donut. Not a coconut donut. Not a donut hole. Not a glazed cinnamon donut. Not a cinnamon apple filled donut. Not a cinnamon bun. Not a powdered donut. Not a glazed blueberry donut. Not a New York cheesecake donut.

Just one Original Glazed® donut. One.

And for that, you agree to be bombarded by their marketing team with e-mails and who knows what else!

But you really must love donuts. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to stop at the Krispy Kreme in Dupont tonight for dinner!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

There’s a lot of people you don’t want to make angry. Anyone who has Guido & Nails on their staff, Jose Canseco, Bill Clinton, The Ghost of LBJ, Bruce Banner, and now, please add to the list Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who went postal all over LaSalle, who manage Union Station and have tried to declare the building as private property to enforce some peculiar security rules. This quote is via Joel Lawson and Lightbox DC:

“I’m astounded that Union Station would be declared private property, when we [Congress] issued the lease…” “…We’re going to have hearings,” Norton warned, “because it’s going to be us, the Congress, or it’s going to be the courts. Somebody is going to sue, straight out, and I can tell you that the Supreme Court precedents are as clear as water on this.”

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Delegate Norton for getting up yesterday with a whole sack of angry that needed to be unleashed.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It’s a rare thing to catch a photo like this of Ms. Picciotto. An icon of DC, she has been protesting the use of nuclear arms since the 80’s, through the Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II administrations. No doubt she will be parked on the north side of the White House through the Clinton/Obama/McCain era too. While her dedication is admirable, it’s obvious that her efforts are falling on deaf ears. Regardless, God bless America, a country that gives us to right to protest in peace.

From what I’ve heard, Concepcion is rather camera shy which is what caught my eye when I saw this photo by Mai-Trang Dang. I asked Mai if she had to ask Picciotto for permission to take her photo but she evidently was in the mood to vogue that day. According to Mai:

She posed for 7-8 shots, at least. She had just put down a sign she was holding up while chanting her protest about Bush…I can’t remember exactly what it said. I work right next to Lafayette Park, so I see her quite often, usually on the way to lunch. I’ve heard the secret service guys talk about how she’s got an apartment somewhere, but I’ve never asked her about it. It seems plausible; to be blunt, she doesn’t have the odor of someone who’s actually living in Lafayette Park and she does change her clothes daily, as far as I’ve noticed.

I’ve tried to make heads or tails of this website dedicated to her story, but my eyes and brain start to hurt within a few minutes. I don’t know if Conception (aka “Connie”) is mentally capable of holding a normal conversation, but if so, it would make for an interesting interview indeed.

Has anyone else taken any good photos of her? If so, please share, and tell us what you know about her.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

We reported earlier that photography at Union Station, despite being Carl’s favorite space to take photos, was getting to be a real challenge, even though photography in the incredibly beautiful Union Station is allowed both by Amtrak and by LaSalle Partners who maintains the space. Fox 5 News has gotten involved, and interviewed local photographer Joel Lawson about getting hassled when he pointed out that photography in Union Station was perfectly legal and acceptable.

What was hilarious, though, was Fox 5, while interviewing an Amtrak spokesman, was shut down by Union Station security for conducting an interview at Union Station. The security guard was unable to explain the policy, and refused to answer questions regarding the policy at the facility, and LaSalle Partners, who operate the mall portion of Union Station, wouldn’t respond in any way, shape or form to media inquiries.

It’s really bullshit that we can’t even ask what the rules are, or how they should be construed. How can we be respectful and participatory in our practice of photography if you won’t talk to us about what they want respected and why. This is the kind of thing that gets people up in arms and more than a little upset.

Figure it out, Union Station, and welcome shutterbugs.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It’s Spelling Bee time again. It was on the TV at lunch today, and I couldn’t help but watch in shock, horror and awe as the various home-schooled kids hemmed and hawed, asked for definitions and origins, and definitions and origins and “oh, please, could you use it in a sentence.” What was hilarious, though, was watching it with the closed captioning going:

[WORD]
>> [WORD]?
Yes, [WORD]

Can I get a definition please?

*definition is lovingly pasted here*

Okay. [WORD]

And they make the attempt.

Seriously, Deaf people watch this and laugh, I guarantee you.

I wonder what the descriptive video service does for it…

Be sure not to miss DC Sports Bog’s coverage, which is just as funny.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

…an ad on Washingtonpost.com alerts me that the New Kids on the Block Reunion Tour (otherwise known as the “Real estate market is in the toilet so Jon Knight finally agreed” tour) will be coming to our fair city on October 2.

The show will be at the Verizon Center, which seems like an ambitious choice for a flash-in-the-pan boy band that hasn’t toured in at least 15 years, but perhaps there are other 30-somethings out there who are not as embarrassed at their childhood love of Joey McIntyre as I am. They’ve already sold out in Atlantic City, I hear.

In any case, the presale starts on June 2 at LiveNation. If you’re willing to admit that you plan to see this show, chime in in the comments. We promise not to mock you. Much.

New Kids on the Block – 4/4/08

Originally uploaded by nkotbofficial

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Agents of the FBI today raided the Prince George’s County home of State Senator Ulysses Currie (D-25 MD), as well as the headquarters of SUPERVALU’s Shoppers Food Warehouse in Lanham, MD. NBC 4 says that the raids are related, but can’t show a correlation. I’m sure we’re going to hear a lot about this in the next few days, as Sen. Currie is chairman of the Budget & Taxes committee in the Maryland State Senate. You can also watch WJLA’s coverage via their website.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The DC Department of the Environment has a Home Energy Rating System program they call HERS. In a nutshell, they come out to your home and give it the once-over to see where you might be expending more energy than you need to and provide some advice on how you might reduce your output.

Putting aside the fact that we as a region apparently use less environmentally friendly fuels than our friends on the other coast,  DC residents pay 35% more for their power than the national average. Whether that’s bad regulation or the fact that we use less renewable sources doesn’t make much difference when the time comes to write the check.

The DCDOE website makes noises about getting a rating number for when you’re trying to sell your house, and I suppose it couldn’t hurt, but I think the real value is in your own bills. The tv and radio commercials they run for the HERS program indicate you should call (202) 673-6750 to make an appointment, but the website also says you can email Willie Vazquez at willie.vazquez@dc.gov.

Thanks to Greg over at The Daily Compost for finding this one

The image is Energy, courtesy of mbgrigby

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I dug into my first round of farm share strawberries last night, but if you’re not signed up or prefer to have someone else do the preparations you could get on over to Food Matters on Saturday for their Strawberry Festival. “Join us for free samples of strawberry desserts, strawberry-inspired menu items, and strawberry cocktails.”

My darling girlfriend and I went to Food Matters about three weeks ago after they were mentioned in an update mail I got from Local Harvest. She’s good about indulging my Michael Pollan disciple leanings and the promise of good food that is concerned with connecting eaters with origins was enough to interest both of us. Although it’s metro inaccessible and oddly located – just head East from Landmark Mall and turn at the eerily similar townhouses – the experience was not a disappointment.

My dearheart’s amish chicken – named for the origin, not its garb or way of life – was superb and had the subtle but recognizable taste of non-commercial foul. My pasta carbonara was similarly delicious. We sat at the bar and I was delighted to indulge in their Bell’s Oberon on draft, a fact that might be enough to get our Mr Bridge there all by itself.

The decor is on the edge of odd, reflecting the fact that this is a place with some identity issues – they have some cafeteria-type premade food in a walk-up case, as well as some farm fresh items such as eggs, as well as a sit-down restaurant area as well as a sizable bar. On the other hand, the layout includes an open plan kitchen which allows you to stand and watch the goings-ons without being in the middle of a bunch of your fellow eaters. As a bit of a cook voyeur I found this to be a great feature and if it bugged the people working they didn’t give any sign of it.

If you’re an Arlington-ite and possessed of a car I’d say this is a place worth a visit. We’ll be back.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs