The governing body has approved a fare hike that will raise Metro fares by up to $0.60 per trip, parking by $0.75 per day and bus fares by $0.10. The fare hike is designed to prevent a $110M shortfall predicted in next year’s budget. Here’s how the fare problems break out:

The new base rail fare: $1.65 (up from $1.35)
The new max rail fare: $4.50 (up from $3.90)
The new parking rate: up to $4.00 (up from $3.25)
The new metrobus fare: $1.35 (up from $1.25, remains $1.25 if you use SmarTrip)

No word on why Metro chose to leave bus fares static for SmarTrip card users, or why a similar option (or at least a lower fare hike…) wasn’t provided to rail users. The new fares take effect on January 6th, 2008, so enjoy your “cheap” fares for the rest of the year, and get ready to budget up to another couple bucks a day for next year’s fares.

With the Mitchell report out today everyone’s looking to see which of their (least) favorite players are showing up on it and who of their local teams are there, past or present. The Nationals have gotten off light, with only former players Jose Guillen and Mike Stanton listed. The team owned by our favorite person, Peter Angelos, has a few more names on there. I see Gibbons, Roberts, Segui, Tejada, and Williams.

I might have missed one or two, or not listed a player from pre-2002, when the report says the practice was more widespread.

Time to local mesh XO’s

Are you stalking UPS drivers with geek-lust for your G1G1 laptop? Do you want to mesh network with other First Day Donors right here in Washington DC? Then be sure to join a group I am starting: OLPC Learning Club – DC.

It is a local group of XO laptop enthusiasts committed to co-learning, hacking, and expanding the One laptop Per Child computational experience and we are having our very first meetup next week:

OLPC LC-DC Holiday Meetup
December 18, 7 PM
Mayorga Cafe & Lounge
3301 14th. St. NW (map)

We will have three special guests with us from other OLPC organizing groups:

• Bryan Berry, External Relations Manager, OLE Nepal
• Christoph Derndorfer and Aaron Kaplan from OLPC Austria

Bryan, Christoph, and Aaron will be giving us an overview of their progress in organizing local OLPC groups in their countries, and ideas on how to expand OLPC LC/DC. Then we’ll have an in-depth geek-fest and discussion around XO laptop usage right here in Columbia Heights.

Be sure to bring your enthusiasm, your commitment, and of course, you shiny green G1G1 XO laptop!

Normally if I wrote that type of headline it would be some sort of metaphor. Not this time, my friends.

Yesterday I visited the Manna Market Juice Bar on Fairmont Ave. in Bethesda to try a different coffee source. Sometimes a guy just needs an afternoon cup of coffee, you know? When I went in, I was met with a distinct tuna-like smell. It wasn’t a terrible stink but funky enough to put some doubt in my mind about the place.

I decided not to stay around and just pick up a to-go menu. Upon examination, I realized that there were no fish items on the menu. Fishy smell, no fish. Is that a good combination? Has anyone else been to this place and had a positive experience that can turn me on to trying another visit?

If you haven’t seen Scena Theatre’s well-received production of Jean Genet’s “The Maids” yet, you have just three chances left. Final performances are tonight and Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 3pm at the Warehouse Theater, whose stage is beautifully transformed into a Parisian flat filled with a golden bathtub and opulent flowers. That beauty, however, is masking a rotten core, the truth of which is mesmerizingly revealed over the course of the play.

“The Maids” has always been one of my favorite plays, a tragic drama about two maids and their fascination/repulsion relationship with their mistress as they act out their roles in both fantasy and reality. It mines the meaning of fetish, of possession, of acting itself, and what it means to be an artist both against and beholden to the ruling class. When the hated mistress finally appears, like a keen-eyed bird of prey, she dooms the maids to an inevitable conclusion.

Heady stuff, and the three actors in Scena’s production – Jenifer Deal, Nanna Ingarvasson, and Danielle Davy – are giving top-notch, truthful performances that strongly deserve to be seen.

There was word that the Ron Paul Blimp was going to do a DC flyover this week, possibly for their Thursday 9AM rally at the Federal Reserve, but we can now confirm that this is definitely not happening. This RonPaulForums thread cites “weather and FAA restrictions” for the change-of-plan; apparently the argument that “the First Amendment applies to airships” lost out to the prospect of being shot down or fined for violating the Flight Restriction Zone around the DC area without prior authorization.

The blimp, though now nearing completion, has been delayed incessantly due to weather and logistics issues, originally slated for launch between Wednesday and Friday last week, then delayed to Monday this week, then delayed again to Friday. It normally takes months to prepare an airship for an ad campaign, but the volunteers behind the initiative have impressively thrown it together in just a couple of weeks, all the while managing to circumvent campaign finance law by incorporating as a political advertising firm — albeit one whose sole service is to advertise Ron Paul’s name on an Airship Management Services blimp — from whom supporters can “purchase” advertising time beyond the regular individual or PAC donation limits. Whether this loophole is really valid remains up in the air. Like a blimp. Oh, the humanity.

Update: The Federal Reserve rally was “postponed indefinitely,” and the blimp is no longer going to Boston.

As if some people in this town needed an excuse to hate tourists. The DC tourism board has created a promotion to appeal to fans of the upcoming National Treasure sequel. I guess their money is as green as anyone else’s, but really, is the package going to include a tour or all the places where fictional events didn’t really happen?

If “as seen in the movie” is the most interesting thing to you about the Jefferson Memorial or the White House then you are a sad, sad person indeed.

You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
You really are a heel.
You’re as cuddly as a cactus,
You’re as charming as an eel.
Mr. Grinch.

– Dr. Seuss

The time has come to name the 2007 Metroblogging DC Grinch of the Year. It’s time to help Santa choose which deserving foe of all that is good and right in DC is named our Grinch. We’re looking for any individual or group who have impacted DC in any negative way. They’re Grinch Personified, stealing candy-canes from Cindi Lou Who.

Some of my suggestions might include those who voted against DC’s vote in Congress, or maybe those workers in the DC Government who stole $40 million, or maybe Victor Kolako, who ran over two pedestrians with his Metrobus without stopping. I only just saw the video that was released by the families of the victims on Marc Fisher’s blog (video is still one more click away if you just want to read about it), and quite frankly it’s appalling.

I’m sure there are other entries that we could come up with, so please, suggest your Grinch of the Year in the comments! We’ll put out a proper poll come next Wednesday and voting will close a week from Monday! Who’s got your goat? Mayor Fenty? Marion Barry? The Lerner Family? Dan Snyder? Local Media? Congress? El Jefe himself? Put it in the comments and get the ball rolling.

Well Google has expanded street view yet again and we still ain’t in it. C’mon google! We’re the 25th most populous city! Pittsburgh? 57th. PROVIDENCE? 128th!

I want to see lobbyists picking their nose on the street! Let’s go!

The holiday season, aside from being filled chaotic shopping, pressure-filled holiday office parties (gone are the days of the making-out-with-the-cute-girl-from-accounting-on-the-copier, apparently…), and all manner of family stresses, is filled also with music. These next two weeks are full of some of the best music that Western Civilization has to offer: full of hope, full of peace, and full of love. Better still, they’re in some of the most astounding acoustical places that our area has to offer. Amidst the chaos and cold, enjoy some peace and sound.

Choral Arts Society of Washington
December 17th, 7pm
December 23rd, 7pm
December 24th, 1pm
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

Cathedral Choral Society
Friday, December 14, 7:30pm
Saturday, December 15, 4pm
Sunday, December 16, 4pm
Washington National Cathedral

There are many other choirs in the DC area having events this winter, and I highly recommend checking out their amazing voices. Take the time this week or next to take a pause from the holiday frantics and to enjoy some beautiful music.