Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

But it would be so hard to resist a six-speed manual...oh, the earth is sad? Well, all right.

Dr. Gridlock on “Car Free Day”:

So to me, Wednesday’s Car Free Day is about raising consciousness concerning choice, not about pushing people out of their cars. So I hope people who usually drive will consider options that could save them money and stress. You don’t have to take a sudden and lasting plunge into a completely different commuting style. But do think through the alternatives of transit, biking, walking or telecommuting — even once in a while. As Nicholas Ramfos of the Commuter Connections program says, “Just try it.”

I am so grateful I get to work from home. I’m more productive in my quiet apartment than I am in our bright, electrifying newsroom. I can run down the street when Go-go legends are hanging out at Ben’s. I can read without being disturbed and make phone calls without disturbing others.

I can use a bathroom which does not require a key. I don’t have to worry about expensive cab rides, quarter-guzzling meters or delays on the green or red line. I’m much happier because like all bloggers, I get to work in my pajamas. I kid. I work in my gym clothes, because that way I feel less guilty about all of that technology and lycra going unused as I ignore the two gyms I live within a quarter-mile from.

Having typed all of that, I am well-aware that I am very lucky, and not just because I have an enlightened boss. I deliberately chose to live above a subway station and within a block of a grocery store, restaurants and a drug store. Later today, when I go to work for an afternoon staff meeting (posting may be light!), my office will be a block from a metro stop. But that’s a new development for me; previous work and home addresses weren’t so easy to travel between.

A lot of us drive when we don’t need to (I’m totally guilty of this; I blame my California roots.) but some of us drive because we have to, I know. Here’s to more car-free options, for all of us.

Washington Post suspends columnist for Twitter hoax “Wise wrote on Twitter after the incident that he’s “an idiot” and offered “apologies to all involved.” But the columnist still didn’t appear to grasp just why Twitter users (including other journalists) assume respected journalists are publishing accurate information on the medium. “I was right about nobody checking facts or sourcing,” he added along with Monday’s apology.” (Yahoo News)

Gallery Place Installs Anti-Loitering Device (it’s called the “Mosquito”) “…the Mosquito will dissuade loiterers but will not hamper shoppers, diners and those seeking entertainment. Gallery Place called for new legislation prohibiting loitering — a rule that the District of Columbia, unlike every other major U.S. city, has failed to put on its books.” (NBC Washington)

Lead Contamination Closes Columbia Heights Playground “According to DC’s Department of the Environment, the contamination came from a nearby construction site. The park is located at the corner of 11th and Monroe Streets in Columbia Heights.” (WUSA Washington, DC)

On my shopping list – Isabel Wilkerson’s Sweeping book, ‘Warmth of Other Suns’ “In a book that, quite amazingly, is her first, Ms. Wilkerson…has pulled off an all but impossible feat. She has documented the sweeping 55-year-long migration of black Americans across their own country…this work of living history boils down to the tenderly told stories of three rural Southerners who immigrated to big cities from their hometowns.” (The New York Times)

Oval Office makeover has comfy, more modern feel “”The room seems very American…And it looks like such a mix of classic and contemporary, with a laid-back elegance. Those sofas are plush, but not fancy, not fussy. It looks like a lot of work gets done in there. It’s elegant, and it’s also appropriate. It feels humanized.”" (WTOP News)

How Cadavers Made Your Car Safer “It’s not just cars that benefit. Researchers have drawn on Wayne State’s cadaver work to design helmets that might prevent concussions in NFL players. NASA has used cadavers to test vehicle crashworthiness, and the Defense Department backs studies using cadavers to better understand traumatic brain injuries. And as good as computer models are, they still can’t capture the exact essence of how human tissue reacts…” (ired.com)

Screen shot from Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

As someone with terrible allergies (which induce asthma), my ears generally perk up when I hear the words “Code Red”, but after visiting the MWCOG website, I discovered something that surprised me– “Red” isn’t the worst color! PURPLE is. Red is “Unhealthy” and Purple is “Very Unhealthy”. Things could always be worse, apparently. Achoo!