Circulator’s New Route? East of the Anacostia River.

It’s happening, next year:

DDOT is currently conducting a comprehensive study to guide the expansion of the Circulator system over the next five to ten years. That includes an ongoing collaboration with neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River to determine the best route for a new line in this location. This planning effort will be completed this fall.

DDOT anticipates the route with service east of the Anacostia River to garner much demand and has already directed First Transit, which operates the DC Circulator, to purchase buses for the new line in preparation for starting service next year.

Will they split infinitives in Klingon, too?

Star Trek, The Movie

Star Trek

Want another reason why DC is delightful? How about an evening of Shakespeare…in Klingon? That’s right, Klingon. Trek over to the Washington Shakespeare Company in Arlington next month to hear it for yourself. Via WaPo:

At the company’s annual benefit Sept. 25 in Rosslyn, selections from “Hamlet” and “Much Ado About Nothing” will be performed in the language that was invented for the Klingon characters of the “Star Trek” films. Actors will be speaking the verse in two languages, English and Klingon, and the lines in each will correspond to the Bard’s signature meter: iambic pentameter. The translations are courtesy of the Klingon Language Institute, a Pennsylvania group that published “The Klingon Hamlet” several years ago, in addition to composing the Klingon version of “Much Ado About Nothing.”

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Vince Gray Liked “Sex and The City”. So What?

SATC 2, The Movie

NYCArthur

Sex and The City 2

All morning long, my Twitter feed has contained references to the fact that Mayoral candidate Vince Gray liked the HBO show “Sex and The City” so much, he slipped out of work to watch the movie alone, at Gallery Place. I find this admission quirky and endearing, but my larger reaction is, “So what if he did?” Putting aside the “sneaking out of work” bit, what’s so wrong with seeing a film, alone? Even if it is that film? Everyone learned about this trip to the movies via an article by Tim Craig, at The Washington Post: “Friendships that last have molded Vincent Gray’s life“.

In that piece, Gray had this to say about SATC:

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MLK’s Niece goes to a Tea Party

Tomorrow, Glenn Beck will hold a rally on the Mall. Called “Restoring Honor”, it will “coincidentally” occur on the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s March on Washington, an event which included King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. One of the scheduled speakers is Alveda King– a niece of the late Civil Rights leader.

Salon’s War Room has more:

“I didn’t get to go 47 years ago when my uncle gave the I Have a Dream speech,” King told Salon this week. “But I believe his dream of faith, hope and love is still alive. I’m going to talk about faith, hope and love — no politics.”

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A Seizure on the Green Line

Metro train

Beadmobile

What would you do if a passenger on the train got sick?

Quick– if someone collapsed on the Metro, would you know what to do?

When I first saw a post about sick passengers riding Metro, I assumed it was about people with colds or the flu. I was wrong. The Unsuck DC Metro blog was discussing something else entirely– one reader’s frustration with her morning commute on the Green Line, after it had been complicated by what initially seemed like an emergency:

A man collapsed from his seat into the aisle. Passengers jumped up to see what was going on. Someone hit the red button at the end of the car to notify the train driver. We gathered around the man, moved his heavy bag out the way and checked his medical bracelet. He has epilepsy.

Of course, the train stopped moving at that point. But read what happened next:

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Tasty Morning Bytes- Yam Monsters, That Metro Guide for Tea Partiers, Rumors vs. Reporting

Good Morning, DC! Who’s ready for some links?

Nigerian Sesame Street teaches kids about gender equality, AIDS, Malaria “What makes Nigerian Sesame Street, which is being titled Sesame Square, different from the original? For one thing, they’ve replaced the cookie monster with yam monster…’We had comments from children asking if these muppets are from heaven,”(theatlanticwire.com)

Metro installing cameras on buses to monitor driving “DriveCam, the San Diego-based firm contracted to conduct the program, will analyze data from any incidents and provide it to Metro to promote better driving habits and also help with investigations.” (The Washington Post)

Not a way to bring Tai-Shan home, either, okay? “Airport customs in Thailand have found a two-month-old tiger stashed in a bag which was checked in for an international passenger flight…The dazed and drugged cub was concealed in an oversized bag packed with stuffed tiger toys and bound for Iran when it was discovered by Thai authorities…” (ABC Online)

Meet Bruce Majors: The Tea Partier Advising Beck Rally-Goers To Stay Off The Green And Yellow Lines “Like his visitor’s guide, which offered advice to dealing with “African immigrants,” Major’s other writings have clear racial undertones…Upon news of White House economic adviser Christina Romer’s upcoming departure, Majors tweeted, “Congratulations Christiina Romer! A house slave is now free.’” (Matthew Yglesias)

Maybe falling home sales aren’t a bad thing for the economy ““All the social harms or externalities or ‘impact on the neighborhood’ you hear about? That is all straightup bull—-,” he continued. “Crime rates are lower than they were at the start of the crisis, there is no evidence that houses priced at market-clearing levels are failing to sell, [and] the army of zombie squatters has not materialized. Neighborhoods are managing to ‘heal’ just fine.”” (The Daily Caller)

From rumor to reporting: The Washington Times story “Is there still such a thing as responsible withholding of information until it is confirmed? Do you lend more credence to news organizations that make the calls and do the checks before publishing, or do you prefer to see the raw material at first blush, even if it hasn’t been checked yet?” (blog.washingtonpost.com)

Why You Shouldn’t Trust Scientists from Michigan and DC “At the other extreme, states including Michigan, Ohio, District of Columbia and Nebraska had between 95% and 100% positive results, a rate that seems unrealistic even for the most outstanding institutions.” (stumbleupon.com)

Fenty: Rhee is Sticking Around

Michelle Rhee

David Clow – Maryland

Michelle Rhee

Michelle Rhee is marrying the Mayor of Sacramento, California; it’s not surprising that DC residents are wondering whether that milestone could mean a cross-country move for the DC schools Chancellor. Considering how important our city’s schools (and Rhee) have been to the Mayoral race, it’s an issue worth addressing. Mayor Fenty did just that, when he met with the staff of the Washington City Paper today:

CP: There’s been some talk, mostly from people who are supporting your opponent, even if you win, Michelle Rhee will probably move. She’s getting married, etc. Do you and her have an understanding that’s she’s going to stay for your second term?

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Top up your SmarTrip Card, ASAP

Remember: on Monday, Metro rides will become more expensive. Instead of two tiers of prices, there will be three, with a peak-of-the-peak surcharge added to the morning rush hour(s). From WTOP:

Metro will charge Metrorail riders an extra 20 cents on weekdays between 7:30 and 9 a.m.

A 20-cent charge between 4:30 and 6 p.m. was put into place earlier this month.

SportsZone is Coming to Columbia Heights

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Sheeds/Air Force 1s. SportsZone is known for sneakers.

DC USA, the crowning retail establishment of gentrification-central (Columbia Heights), is about to get another new business (finally). Prince of Petworth has the scoop:

I’ve just learned that the newest tenant coming to DC USA will be a SportsZone. They are a sports and apparel company with locations in MD, VA and DC. They’ll be located between the Lane Bryant and Staples on the 14th St, NW side. They are looking to open by the end of Nov.

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Speak Up for Food Trucks

Breakfast from Sauca

Sauca, one of many mobile purveyors of food in DC.

If you are enjoying the diverse array of food trucks which currently dot DC, especially around lunch time, you may want to speak up– by 5pm today. Yes, the deadline to comment has been extended. The Washington Business Journal explains why you’d want to:

D.C.’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs recently proposed regulations regarding the city’s many food carts, as part of a general overhaul the department has been doing regarding street vending in the city. But some business owners are against the regulations, and the food trucks in general, saying they create unfair competition for the existing businesses which draw lunch crowds.

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