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.
People bought fewer houses nationwide in the month of July than they did in June, but when they DID buy a home, they paid more than they would have in 2009. The Washington Business Journal reports:
Existing-home sales plunged nationwide in July, but prices were higher than a year ago with price gains in Washington among the biggest in the nation…
In Washington, the year-over-year price gain was 4 percent, to an average sales price of $351,100. Washington’s gain in prices was the fourth strongest among the nation’s 20 largest markets, topped only by Boston, New York and San Diego.
Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com / Flickr
Two bloggers, after Norman Rockwell
File this one under “Yet Another Way DC is Better”: in Philadelphia, niche bloggers are being asked to fork over $300 for a “Business Privilege License.”
Are you scratching your head? Me, too.
Even though small-time bloggers aren’t exactly raking in the dough, the city requires privilege licenses for any business engaged in any “activity for profit,” says tax attorney Michael Mandale of Center City law firm Mandale Kaufmann. This applies “whether or not they earned a profit during the preceding year,” he adds.
If Philly’s bloggers are feeling persecuted, I would humbly like to offer up DC as a saner alternative. We’re not perfect, but we’re also not targeting hobbyists who sometimes update their Blogspot.
A screenshot from the angry Groupon discussion thread
GrouponDC, a site which aggregates deal seekers until a “tipping point” is reached for a specific coupon for local services or food, was the victim of its own success earlier today, after it offered a “Groupon” for half-off $50 worth of merchandise at popular mall retailer The Gap. Thousands rushed to avail themselves of the deal, and the site couldn’t handle the surge in demand. The discussion thread for the deal overflowed with angry reactions, credit card snafus and panicked pleas for inclusion.
GrouponDC isn’t the only “deal” in town; it has several competitors including Living Social, BuyWithMe and What’s the Deal. I’ve used all of them (and they often offer similar deals with the same restaurants as their competitors); I’ve found that the most important thing to keep in mind is actually remembering to redeem the offer!
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