A few months ago, in an empty lot that used to be a used car dealership here in Clarendon, some enterprising soul opened a shoe repair business. I was passing by today and I took a moment to reflect on what the repairman’s financial situation must be like. I’m sure he pays only a minimal rent, but I couldn’t imagine that he did much business. I mean, in this age of disposable consumer goods, how many people actually get their shoes repaired? It can’t possibly be cheaper to get a repair than to just buy a new pair of shoes. I thought about how lonely it must be for that guy, sitting alone in his little shack day after day waiting for people to come with shoes and money, but probably going home without even repairing one sole. “Maybe it’s a front for the mob,” I thought to myself. “Maybe I’ll plug his store on Metroblog, just because I feel bad for the guy.”

But then, miraculously, in the five minutes that I stood their pondering this guy’s fortunes, not one, but two cars pulled up and customers with armloads of shoes ran into the store. Shows what I know about entrepreneurship.

Much love to Nats Blogger Miss Chatter for blogging about her recent trip to see the Nats take BP at the new stadium:

I was walking down the road into left field and saw everyone, so froze and took video and photos from there. Wily Mo Pena hit a home run over the left field “wall” while I stood there. Pretty cool!

While things do still look pretty rough and construction-y at the new yet-to-be-named stadium, the Nats have a lot to look forward to there. It looks like the giant display in right-center should be pretty awesome there, and the new park will likely be much more hitter-friendly, which will be great for the Nats’ offense, but likely horrific for the Nats already 10th of 16 Pitching staff.

That is, unless Stan and Jim have a surprise for us in the offseason like I hope they do?

Protest signs DC made or bought?

What do you think the economic impact of ANSWER Coalition’s protest yesterday? How much money did Washington DC businesses and government gain from the protesters?

I’m sure that the hotels, buses, and vendors were happy with the protest influx. Also the sign makers, Port-a-let renters, and even the DC government, with the tax revenue.

Add to it, all those overtime-paid police and security guards who made bank babysitting screaming adults and will now spend said bank in DC.

But what about the drain on DC services, the overtime that came from DC government coffers. Was it more than the tax revenue for the tourists’ taxes? Does DC come out ahead, money-wise, when we have a protest, ineffectual or not?

Armchair economists, compute!

Photo by Carl Weaver

I have had a great time with my garden recently and am slowly capturing some of it digitally as the harvest ripens and my green fruit starts to blush. The peppers, especially, have a really cool look about them. Each is shaped differently from the others, showing something of a personality and unique, dliecious beauty.

What do you have growing in your garden? Take a picture and post a link in the comments.

Kickball. Fun pastime or Scourge of the District? To hear the Anti Yuppie Kickball Guerilla Front tell it, you’d think that Kickball was the favored activity of all manner of evils from Napoleon’s Imperialism and European Fascism through to modern Islamist Terrorism. Check out their charge to battle:

Think of those eyes now turning to you my friends each time you hear that whistle and the whack of an adult foot on a rubber playground ball. What do those eyes tell you when the asshole-parade of rainbow shirts suddenly crowds into your holy places of drink and real camaraderie? What will you say to your children whom you allowed to be so cowed by the yuppie class war that they whine about your feet and cannot begin to function without a social life you had Fedexed for them from China? I’ll tell you your answer! I say NO! NO! NO to the Reebok boot of chump-hood against the neck of our future! NO to the gentrified repackaging and reduction of our heritage to predetermined color-codes. NO to this flight from reality back to little-league baseball insulation! And God Damnit NO to this invasion stupefying lock-step collectivism into our beer-flowing foundries of revolutionary thought!

Folks, this site is an epic masterpiece of Kickball-hatred the likes I haven’t seen since my friend John was picked last for Kickball in the fourth grade. The tirade that he spouted, aged up to his current near-thirty vocabulary, looks remarkably similar to the screed of the new Guerilla Front. Check out their methods of operation, or tell them that your hatred of kickball is best described as an 18-wheeler packed with starved wolves.

Viva la revoluciòn!

That’s the question I ask thinking about today’s march on the Capitol – was it effective?

First, did “thousands” of protesters change anyone’s mind? From what Michelle Boorstein says, I don’t think so:

Things got ugly for several blocks along Pennsylvania Ave., where war supporters, held back by metal barricades, wore T-shirts, held signs and screamed things at protesters that frequently were obscene.

On the corner of 10th street, two middle-aged men wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with a soldier’s photo shouted obscenities at the top of their lungs in the face of a young man wearing full camouflage and a bandana covering all of his face except his eyes.

And then we have to wonder if it motivated anyone to take action more and/or more effectively than before, no matter what their ultimate goal might be from that action.

Do you think there will be a new groundswell of voter-action? New conversations with new people in homes, churches, or civic groups? Did the protesters at least do a sit-in until they met with their Congressman?

Probably not. Most Congressmen were back home with 4 days off for Rosh Hashana and I dare to say that most protesters did what they do best today: scream and shout like the woman loco_moco witnessed:

I heard the most profanities from a large, middle-aged woman counterprotestor with a big bullhorn. As I was passing, she suddenly lunged over the barrier and tried to smite somebody with it. She had to be restrained by her compatriots.

I’d make that “patriots” but I wouldn’t call her very effective. She’s just one step up from ineffectual protesters I protest.

I freaked. Then I geeked.

I mean, you walk through the entry and the first thing you see is this (click for major geek out):

OMGPONIES!!!!111

The SR-71 Blackbird. The fastest aircraft ever built. Just look at it! Speedy, sexy, awesome. My photos don’t do it justice. Oh and PS, that’s the prototype Space Shuttle back there. You remember The Enterprise, right? Built in the 70′s for approach and landing tests, NASA wanted to name it “Constitution” but Star Trek fans began a write-in campaign to Gerald Ford get the name changed to “Enterprise” and President Ford made it so. (You don’t f*** with Star Trek fans when they start writing in.)

But let’s look at the Blackbird from another angle, shall we?

Dude.

Part of the description on the Wikipedia entry says: “if a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was to simply accelerate.” I love that.

More Udvar-Hazy after the jump…
(more…)

Saturday Morning on M Street.

(They moved quickly, sorry for the not so great photo.)

Wayan’s DC Photos

Today there was a whole other protest. It wasn’t about war, though the opposing sides are just as bitter. There were accusations of killing, death, even murder. And people did need escorts to keep fights at bay.

But this protest isn’t new, or even unique to DC. This is an abortion protest, and it happens across America at Planned Parenthood centers.

On one side you have guys like this one, ready to pounce on any woman entering, pregnant or not. On other you have the escorts, in bright shirts, ready to body-block for those looking for family planning advice.

And sadly, unlike the protest on the Mall, this protestation happens on a national scale every Saturday. Its enough to make we want to quote.

“Can’t we all just get along?”

I hadn’t intended to post to DC Metblogs while I was here in Chicago, but I spotted this old tug from Lakeshore drive yesterday when coming in from the airport. So today I walked down to Lake Michigan to get a better picture and noticed its registry location – home!