May 8, 2006
Morning Roundup: Rainy Day Monday Edition
In the 70's, Karen Carpenter sang that "Rainy Days and Mondays" always got her down. Well, this would chart as a real downer, as today combines the two. On a cheerier note, Saturday morning I took in the unveiling of Cultural DC's Shaw Heritage Trail, which included a fabulous performance by the Shiloh Baptist Church choir and had a great turn-out from the community; check out the Trail, and the local Shaw businesses, sometime in the near future. For some weekend news, WJLA mentioned and NBC 4 writes that a teen was stabbed to death by another teen in Dale City, VA late Saturday night, and it looks like the Nationals' John Patterson will have a delayed return, again.
Postal Worker Arrested in Saturday Beltway Bomb Scare: According to News Channel 8, a US Postal Worker was arrested in connection with to a bomb threat to a charter bus near Silver Spring, resulting in the Capital Beltway being closed for an hour and a half on Saturday morning. NBC 4 also has the story. Sure, the Beltway being shut down at any time is a pain, but at least it wasn't during weekday rush hour; that would have really sucked.
Gallaudet Students, Faculty Protest Newly-Named President: WJLA reports that despite angry students and faculty, Gallaudet's new president Jane Fernandes will not give up her new post. Fernandes, who was born deaf, grew up speaking, attended mainstream schools and learned to sign at 23, is noted in the WJLA story as having told the Washington Post that she's caught in the middle of a debate regarding what it means to be 'deaf enough'. Protesters are saying that their voice was not heard during the selection process, WTOP notes that the faculty is considering a 'no confidence' vote, and the Examiner posts a Fernandes Q and A.
Suspect Held in District Jail for Four Murders and a Robbery: Having been held in regards to a domestic violence case, NBC 4 reports that Azariah Israel is now a suspect in four murders and a robbery within the District. The crimes include the September 2004 stabbing of Terry Bullock in the 2100 block of 14th Street Northwest, and a double shooting at Columbia Road in Northwest last year.
Briefly Noted: Girl electrocuted while stretching in Baltimore...Federal funds shaky for Dulles Metro extension...Rallies planned in District over cuts in mental health agency's budget...Teen shot, killed over bike in Maryland...Squat, don't sit, in Salisbury, MD...Slain D.C. corrections officer remembered...Dialogue 15 years after Mount Pleasant violence.
This Day in DCist: May 8, 2005 fell on a weekend, though Previously on DCist linked to stories ranging from Mother's Day to Margaritas.
Picture taken by Grundlepuck.
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Wow, that "Bomb Scare Closes the Beltway" story is screwy ... sounds like someone was pretty damn cranky about not being able to go on an employee excursion to Atlantic City!
Another fun Monday - the Orange (and I'm guessing Blue) line was delayed again due to a sick passenger, this time at Federal Triangle. The situation was described as being an "emergency" and the passenger was said to be unconscious. Did anyone get more details than that?
Pics of the new metro cars. No vertical bars by the doors.. I love it!
http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wmata/yards/f99/6011.htm
Is today a holiday and I don't know it? This place seems dead and the metro was relatively empty this morning.
It's a rainy Monday; if at all possible, I would have called in sick. Perhaps a large swath of the city took the cue and did just that.
Perhaps a large swath of the city took the cue and did just that.
I wish more drivers did that... my drive was unusually slow this morning, especially given that it wasn't really even raining.
Yay to no more stripper poles! Those things really get in the way on Metro. Now, if they would just let us walk between the cars (like you can in Chicago and San Francisco) the overcrowding issues would be that much closer to a fix.
I think the poles were not as much of a problem as the plexiglass partitions. (although the added benefit of no poles by the doors is that short people will have to move in more).
Really what they should do is move towards bench seating. I believe they originally didn't want that because they wanted more of a "luxury" train experience, but I think we've reached a point where the ridership numbers demand more floor space to standers, not sitters. I think at the very least a hybrid car could be made in which the center section has bench seats along the sides of the car, and the two ends keep some form of forward/reverse seating.
Reid, there are still vertical poles by the doors. They are mounted to the wall of the car and curve under where the System Map usually sits. so short people may actually move closer to the doors.. look at pic 0582 in the above link.
As for walking between cars, it's prohibited but my understanding is that the doors are unlocked. I don't recall ever seeing a situation where one car was completely packed and the adjacent car had significant space (ie when one car is packed, they are generally all packed).. but if you find yourself trapped, I'd recommend breaking the rules.
What a Monday...add The Mammas and Pappas "Monday, Monday" lyrics "...every other day of the week is fine.yeah" to our collective angst and start a movement towards a 4 day work week!!
If you're interested in understanding the protest at Gallaudet over the selection of this woman, check my blogsite at www.ridorlive.com and www.xanga.com/elisa_abenchuchan.
You'll see why they are not good -- they are very corruptive, to say the least.
Cheers,
R-
Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever heard of a university presidential selection where the students actually had a significant say in the decision?
My alma mater replaced its president during my undergraduate years, too, and there was much hollering about how students knew the most about the university's current needs and should play an influential role in the decision. Instead, students got a non-voting seat on the selection committee, and ended up having little to no influence on the ultimate choice. Admittedly, that might have had something to do with the fact that we didn't launch days of protest or establish a tent city . . .
Oops, that previous comment should have included the phrase, "other than the selection of the last Gallaudet president," since obviously the DPN movement had a huge effect on that selection process.