HFS-terrible

Just for the sake of putting something up here...99.1, a station that was a hallmark of my youth (and gave me a handful of cool points in my Gilman advisory group as a freshman, when the seniors quizzed us on our favorite radio stations) has traded in its image, once burnished as a flannel-and-coffee kind of station, for well, more coffee but with a Spanish language twist.

E, I know you were a 91.5 kind of girl, but tell me this makes you want to put on a brooding Pearl Jam album to mourn appropriately.

Indelible Marks

Though I take issue with a lot of what the US has done in the Middle East, this point is notable: this month will have some of the first free elections in the Arab world and they're under American and Israeli occupation. The Palestinian election was on January 9th and Iraq's (if all goes according to plan) will be on January 30th.

I'm not sure what to make of the observation. Maybe that the elections are less free or maybe the US and Israel are spreading at least a small bit of goodness.

Block-a-Ton, Deny Millions!

On the subject of the NBA:
Kobe Bryant and several other NBA players have promised to donate $1,000 for tsunami relief for every point they score in an upcoming game.

I wonder what the commentary will be like. "Tim Duncan blocks Kobe's shot and kills 5 Indonesian families!" We are likely see a significant difference in scoring percentages this week.

If Elaine wants to write about torture, terrorism, and her other favorite passions, that's fine by me...all I ask for in return is a random post that's up my alley, has little to do with DC, and will admittedly not advance conversation.

Keep that in mind as you check out this very interesting and well-written story that might change the future of the NBA. The author sounds like a junior Malcolm Gladwell.

1/10 Update: I got an e-mail from a friend this afternoon with this link--the original story I meant to link to...whoops. Though given the personal predelictions of many NBA players, I guess a story about both premature babies and a morning after pill would be just as relevant to the league's future. I still maintain that Shawn Kemp, Joe Forte, and half-a-dozen other NBA players who don't know their own fathers, might be the kids of Wilt Chamberlain.

Living the dream

When I was in college, a couple of my friends (who shall go unnamed) seemed to think they had the stuff for stand-up comedy.


Take a little of this, mix it with that...you might get a real comedian

And you know what? Some of them might have been right. We had a series of roasts that have now passed into alumni lore. It sounds awfully presumptious--what college senior thinks he deserves his own roast?--but it was universally hailed and one presenter (now making six digits on Wall $treet) called it "the single greatest thing I have ever accomplished."

But that was the end of our brief stand-up careers. Captured not by video, great memories destined to be clouded by age and alcohol.

This is a really long-winded introduction, though, to say that improbable as becoming a professional comedian might seem, there's one guy out there on the verge. I'd like to introduce you to him.


Always entertaining, even when he's half-asleep

Meet Jon Eick. Once you wake him up, he's a very funny man who's quickly developing a DC following. And...you can see him perform two sets in the next few weeks. The first is a practically free (only a one drink minimum) show that he's headlining this Sunday from 8 to 10 p.m. at Shula's Steakhouse in the Wyndham hotel, on New Hampshire Avenue by M Street. The second is at the DC Improv's Open Comedy Showcase, 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday Jan. 18 (tickets available through the link); the winner gets to perform a guest set next time Jay Mohr comes to town. It's like Last Comic Standing, only you might actually know some of the people he's making jokes about (here's the truth: if the joke starts "So I got this friend [who did some dumb thing]" it's Leland).

Elaine, take it from me--I can recognize good comedy (or the lack of it, in my case). And Eick's got the gift. If you want a case of the chuckles...and a reason to laugh away your disgust for DC...here's your chance.

Chains, whips, and politricks

I make it a point not to comment on my politics publically, but I will say that little surprises me anymore. From Bush's re-election--I mean, it really seemed like the Democrats' presidency to lose at one point--to apparent ignorance by senior finance officials on the state of the dollar, it seems like we live in a fantasy land. The last time anything on the Hill actually amazed me was when the "colorful" Bernard Kerik didn't get the homeland security post; he seemed perfect for the administration. To paraphase Stephen Colbert, Bush actually lost the popular vote in the 2000 election and thought he had a mandate; after November, it's clear he can push anyone through he wants to.

Why hold a little elbow-breaking against our attorney general--that's the kind of attitude we need to win the war on terror! God knows the last softie--with his fluffy "Patriot Act" and a capella stylings--didn't get much done, other than annoy the liberal media.

It Depends on What You Mean by "Torture"

It astounds me that Alberto Gonzales is expected to be a shoe-in for Attorney General.

Quick recap:
Bush responds to September 11th and says the nation is at war. Since the Industrial Age, if you are at war, most civilized nations understood that the Geneva Conventions, an international treaty on the laws of war, apply. Then in January 2002, Gonzales writes a convenient memo for Bush saying that the Conventions don't apply. Then in August 2002, a memo is written for Gonzales crystallizing his view that "torture" is defined only as severe pain that would accompany "organ failure, impariment of bodily function, or even death." So beating a prisoner with a broom stick is okay (only temporary damage); having a dog bite a prisoner is okay (only temporary damage) and so is pouring phosphoric acid on him (only temporary), all of which happened at Abu Ghraib.

I tried to maintain some skepticism because legislators from all colors were shocked by the mistreatment and yet they are going to confirm this man. But a letter today from 12 retired military generals to the Senate Judiciary panel confirms that something is very wrong:

Mr. Gonzales' recommendations -- those he wrote and those he supervised--... and the actions that followed not only put our troops at risk, they put our nation's honor at risk.

Even if Gonzales was not the source for authorizing violations of the law of war, an Attorney General is not supposed to be a yes-man for breaking domestic and international law.

And to prove my point--there's so much to do!

Restaurant Week is almost upon us and I don't want to hear any excuses that you're a poor student; I'll spot you the $20.05 for lunch and $30.05 for din-din.

Not to mention: A few new galleries in Dupont...some interesting authors at Politics and Prose (do you remember that poor boy at the world AIDS conference a few years ago? Heart-breaking stuff)...plus an open bar and appetizers at McFaddens tomorrow (Thursday) from 6 to 8 for $10; anyone who knows my e-mail address can hit me up for the voucher.

Famous names too...a few very notable speakers next Thursday--Scalia and Breyer at AU in the early slot and Jared Diamond (Guns, Germs, and Steel. And sadly no relation) at the Smithsonian a few hours later.

AND finally, Thievery Corporation just announced they're playing a show at the 9:30 club in a few weeks with all proceeds going towards tsunami relief.

DC's a happening place, E. A real sense of optimism about what's going on here.


That's more than you can say about Ashlee Simpson's career.

The only constant is change...

...and that's not a bad thing. Of all the things you mention about our transitory metropolis, it's interesting what you leave out--the constant sense of change that results. Young residents + population turnover + changing ideologies = a lot going on for a relatively small big city (I realize the suburbs aren't counted here). If a wheel's always spinning, it can't rust...

Take Philadelphia. It has a census three times the size of the District, terrific museums and universities...but it just felt overshadowed by the vitality of NYC to the North and DC down I-95, in part because there are so many area lifers. I love the vitality here. Just look at the new Washingtonian, the best restaurants issue. Sure, they have to switch up the winners every so often, the old US News trick, if only to ensure people buy the latest and greatest. But it's not even the top list, awash in regulars like 1789 and Kinkead's, that intrigues me; it's the lengthy roll of "Ones to Watch"--the Indian-French hybrid IndeBleu, the stylish Palette--that makes me glad DC's turnover and tendency towards the cutting-edge cater so well to us foodies.

Your observations are still well-taken, of course. There was a time this summer, as some packed up for graduate school and others took new jobs, that forced me to count out the number of legitimate friends who've left DC since I arrived in July 2002 (hopefully out of coincidence, not a causation). It was a depressing--and draining--exercise in the futile. Making friends is great, but not if you have to do it every six months.

So yes, the true Washingtonians are the ones trapped in poverty, living in Anacostia and past Capitol Hill (though not as bad as some in Northwest seem to think). Do you think the better-off residents would care more about the plight of the poor if we weren't too busy planning to flee?

Our Fair City of Transients

My impending return to DC reminds me of what frustrates me about this city: so much of the population is transitory.

New politicians mean new staff. The fleet of government offices brings tons of summer interns. And these people don't stay. I can't find numbers but I have lived in DC for about a year and have yet to meet someone who grew up in the city and whose family has been here for generations. Of course there are permanent residents. My bet is that the permanent group is largely African-American and largely working class or poor. Again, I couldn't find official stats but here are some interesting ones about the city overall.

On top of that, DC has a large commuter population. It almost doubles in size during the work week. Those commuters spend 71 hours a year in traffic congestion, ranking second-highest in the country. That doesn't make happy workers.

To sum it up, John F. Kennedy said it well: "Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm." I have a year and a half to be convinced otherwise.

Back from vacation...but ready for another one

It's been a slow day for everyone. Some say it's because the date itself is an anomaly. Maybe a more obvious link is that New Year's was Friday night. Going to bed at sunrise isn't exactly the way to prepare your body to go back to work a couple days later.

Of course, one of the best cures for a post-holiday hangover is...more drinking.

There's a relatively new bar trivia night every Monday at Gaffney's Oyster and Ale House from 7-8:30 (4301 Fairfax Drive in Arlington). One of the hosts is Jerry Mayer, a good guy and a heck of a frisbee player, and he sent this e-mail a few weeks back on "Headgames":

>In teams of 2-9 people, you'll compete to answer questions in four rounds, with topics ranging from geography to cartoons, Britney Spears to the French Revolution. First prize is $30 off your bar tab. There will be FOUR rounds of 10 questions each--a Trash Round of pop culture, a Geek Round of Politics, History, Science, etc, an Either or Round where every question is 50-50, and a Final Grab Bag Round worth double points.

>The questions should be funny enough that even if you don't know the answer, you may get a laugh.

I haven't been, but if you're looking for something to do tonight (or future Mondays), perhaps worth a look.

A superhero's second career: Wizards role player

I know you don't really follow basketball, but I love Coach Eddie Jordan's colorful quotes in this story about the Wizards' victory yesterday.

You get the sense that the Post staff writers like them too; they wrote an entire lede on how Jordan started referring to incredibly shrinking starting center Brendan Haywood as "the Hulk", after the green giant.


European centers and malt liquor make Hulk angry!

Call the coaching strategy (and players) what you will, but after years of mediocrity, the man's gotten results.

Disaster

You know what? Not to stretch for a silver lining, but hopefully the Muslim insurgents and Buddhist majority in Thailand will put aside their differences, wherever they seem to have sprung from, and work together to rebuild a country that's been devastated since your last post.

There was something really annoying on NPR this morning--touching on the Asia disaster, one of the hosts said something like "And there was some good news to come out of the tsunami; four people were found alive on an island, carried by waves, after their boat sank." Of course, he then noted that over 150,000 people have died. Not to be a cynic, but what a terrible way to introduce a small, mildly happy story. It really bothered me.